Book 2: Changes
by Bast13
Summary: After surviving travelling with the Gaang to the North Pole, the new airbender Eira now has to survive Toph, Azula and the many new adventures along the way as Aang learns earthbending. *follow up on Book 1:Air* Rated T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1-Trying and Failing

**Dun dundundun dundun dundundundun dun daaaaaaaa! (failed attempt at fanfare) Welcome to Book 2: Changes! If you haven't read book 1, I'd recommending doing so before reading this as it might make slightly more sense then... maybe, maybe not.**

**Anyway, I'm sorry for the wait, but here it is! I really hope you like this and enjoy reading it.**

**I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender but I do own my character Eira and the changes she makes in the story. (But I wouldn't be posting it in fanfiction if I did own it, and who would believe I owned something as great as Avatar?)**

**As always, please review and tell me what you think!**

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Chapter 1: Trying and Failing

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As Eira felt the gentle rocking of the hammock and the waves rocking the boat, she felt like she should be sleeping. She felt like she should just be resting peacefully, but her eyes just couldn't close. It was weird. True, she didn't sleep very well generally but this was bad even by her general sleep standards.

At least she wasn't having nightmares… but then again, her thoughts weren't much better. All she could think about was her family or what had happened at the North Pole. She still felt weird about the fact she felt nothing when Zhao was killed by the Moon and Ocean spirits. Eira knew she should be feeling something. Anger, relief even happiness, but… nothing.

Eira turned over on her side and stared at the wooden walls of their small cabin in the dark, still not feeling tired at all. Eira inwardly groaned in frustration, for once actually feeling annoyed that her phone or something hadn't been in her pocket.

Sure it would've been very weird for everyone around her and practically useless but it would give her a way to pass the time at night when she couldn't sleep, like she did when she was at home… Then again, she arrived in this world by falling into a pond and then crashing into Artic waters from the sky so it would probably be broken by this point even if she did bring technology.

Behind her, she saw Aang stirring so she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to sleep so he wouldn't notice her.

She listened to the creaks of Aang's footsteps as he walked out slowly and she also heard Katara's hammock move and her whisper.

"Aang…?" Katara also got up and creaked out and Eira turned over again in her hammock. Aang must be thinking about him and the Avatar state. He was pretty scary with the amount of power he possessed. He single-handedly pushed back the Fire Nation, and it was practically the _entire_ navy force!

Eira was frustrated with herself for not being able to remember the first three or four episodes of the second season. She basically only remembered what happened after Toph joined the group. She remembered that there was a scene with an arsehole general threatening to kill Katara and Aang going into the Avatar state but Eira completely forgot what happened in the next couple of episodes.

There was an episode with hippies though, and Eira did remember that the answer was to turn off lights or something.

Yeah, the next couple of days were going to be full of surprises… Eira couldn't exactly tell if this was a good thing or not. Doing things that wasn't shown in the show, such as spending three days on this boat, weren't exactly bad and Eira did seem to deal with it well.

She just liked knowing what she was getting into and knowing how to protect her friends.

o.O.o

Eira must've drifted off to sleep because when she next opened her eyes, Aang and Katara were back and there was sunlight beaming in through the small door.

Eira sat up, a bit shakily thanks to the hammock and rubbed her arms to try and get some feeling back into them, she must've slept on them or something.

Since it was now a lot warmer than it was in the North Pole, Eira had removed the extra shirt from below her tunic but she'd cut off the lower part of the sleeve so she still had something to cover the scar on her forearm.

She'd heard somewhere that in a fight people were likely to target injuries they could already see and noting that in the next month or so, she'd be facing Azula. She didn't want to take any chances.

There was a knock on the door and everyone else woke up.

"We've almost arrived at the drop-off point. Be ready to leave soon." It was Pukiq, one of the warriors travelling to help rebuild the Southern Water Tribe. He was the youngest and the one who was most likely to do the tedious tasks such as messenger boy.

Eira gently dropped down from the hammock and picked up her bag which was leaning against a wooden wall.

Everyone else was getting up at their own pace so Eira decided to go and have some food before they departed.

As Eira made her way to the deck, she noticed that lots of people were already awake. She didn't understand how the Water Tribe people who ran the ship could do it through the night, sure they rested during the day but it must be so boring.

Eira got some bread and some water for a plain simple breakfast to have while she waited for everyone else to wake up.

Appa was calmly resting on the deck, his saddle being loaded by some Water Tribe people. Katara was the first one to wake up, closely followed by Aang and then followed by Sokka a while later.

It was amusing to watch Sokka trudge over to their table, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as Katara tried to hold in laughter. His clothes were misaligned and messy and his dark brown hair was out of place.

As he sat down, Katara giggled as she took a bite of her food. It was some sort of Water Tribe meal that looked so slimy Eira could barely look at it, never mind eating it. Water Tribe food without being able to eat meat wasn't very appealing. It was one of the reasons she'd been eating plain food for the last three days.

"Nice to see you, Sleeping Beauty." Eira commented sarcastically, prompting another giggle from Katara.

"Hah hah! Very funny." Sokka retorted sarcastically as he yawned and stretched out again. "So, we're leaving today, right?"

Eira nodded.

"Yep, then we're going to fly to General… Fong's base?" She said, temporarily forgetting the name of the general. "Then he should be escorting us to Omashu." _I don't really get why, though._ Eira thought. _We could just fly to Omashu and cut out all of the nonsense in-between._ Eira took a sip of water as Aang looked around excitedly. He was incredibly excited at the prospect of learning earthbending, especially from Bumi. Eira forgot why he learnt it from Toph and not Bumi but it was because something dangerous happened.

They all finished their food, talking their small talk as they all tried to wake up fully and when they did, they saw Pukiq walk up to them.

"We have arrived at the drop-off point. You best be leaving now."

"Thanks, Pukiq." Katara said as she stood up.

They all walked over to Appa but as they were about to leave, Master Pakku stopped them. He stood in front of the group, the two people flanking him, holding several items.

A man passed Master Pakku a small conical blue flask on a leather necklace and he held it out for Katara.

"Katara, I want you to have this. This amulet contains water from the Spirit Oasis. The water had unique properties. Don't lose it." He said, handing it to Katara. She accepted it respectfully and hugged Pakku, who looked slightly surprised by the sudden display of affection.

"Thank you, Master Pakku." She said, walking back to Appa and climbing up his tail to the saddle.

Aang stepped forwards and Pakku handed him a box of scrolls.

"Aang, these scrolls will help you master waterbending. But remember, they're no substitute for a real master." Pakku informed. Aang looked up at Katara, a slight blush forming on his face and Eira smiled. He was so sweet. Aang then jumped up onto Appa's head and Eira stepped forwards to Pakku.

Pakku handed Eira a scroll and Eira took it graciously.

"Eira, this scroll is a map. This should help you on your journey."

"Thank you, Master Pakku." Eira said, walking up Appa's tail and sitting down on the saddle. She was quite surprised to get something off Master Pakku. The list of interactions between them was next to zero.

"Sokka… take care, son." Sokka's disappointment was clear as Master Pakku patted him on the shoulder. Sokka, dismayed, walked up Appa's tail and sat down in a huff on the saddle.

"Fly straight to the Earth Kingdom base to the east of here. General Fong will provide you with an escort to Omashu. There, you will be safe to begin your earthbending training with King Bumi." Pakku said.

Aang nodded and flicked the reigns.

"Appa, yip yip!" Appa slammed his tail down and shot up into the sky.

"Say hi to Gran-Gran for me!" Katara shouted as they flew off.

It was refreshing to be back in the sky and that was again a weird thing. She never went on planes back in her world and when she first travelled on Appa, she couldn't take the height but now… it felt reassuring to be up in the clouds.

Eira looked over the map and saw that only a couple of main cities were actually marked on the map which was quite annoying but they could still use it. It was kind of weird to see just how small their world was compared to her own. Only four main landmasses and four "countries" compared to the seven continents and roughly two hundred or so countries. And they managed to travel from the South Pole to the North Pole with all of their distractions and side-tracks, at least a fifth of travel on foot.

Thankfully, travelling to General Fong's base didn't take much time, only an hour or two. They'd made their way inland and as Eira looked over the edge of the saddle, she saw an interesting area.

The mountains had formed a couple of lines and where the lines of rock met, rested a circle with a small base inside it. Walls connected to the base travelled along the lines of rock and with the white a gold colour scheme, it looked pretty.

"I see the base." Eira announced, pointing to the fortress.

Aang nodded and moved the reigns to direct Appa down to land at the base. Appa landed in the courtyard to see General Fong and lines of his army behind him.

General Fong looked very weird. His dark hair was tied up on the top of his head and had a long beard. He wore a version of his army's uniform but wore a dark green cape and weird animal skulls on his shoulder and his feet were exposed to help his earthbending.

"Welcome, Avatar Aang!" He said, arms extended in a welcoming gesture. They all jumped off Appa and stretching all stiff due to not flying for extended periods of time in ages.

"I am General Fong, and welcome, to all of you great heroes! Appa, Momo, brave Sokka, wise Eira, the mighty Katara…"

Katara crossed her arms, her expression clearly pleased.

"Mighty Katara? I like that." She said softly. _It defiantly suits you._ Eira thought. Below, the earthbenders were sending small spheres into the sky and they all exploded into fireworks.

"'K, that's pretty cool." Eira said as she watched the fireworks. She hadn't expected earthbenders to be able to use fireworks in that way.

"Not bad, not bad." Sokka commented, soaking up the admiration. His voice sounding as if he was expecting to be treated like such a hero. Then again, Eira was never really one to want or expect hero worship.

"Please, this way." General Fong said, turning to walk inside the base.

The inside was certainly expansive. The ceiling was incredibly high, held up by large columns and there was a line of tiles in the shape of the Earth Kingdom symbol that lead to a fancy desk and a massive earth Kingdom banner.

General Fong stood behind of the desk and they all knelt on a marble tile a couple of metres away.

"Avatar Aang, we were all amazed at the stories of how you singlehandedly wiped out an entire Fire Navy fleet at the North Pole." General Fong stroked his beard in thought "I can't imagine what it feels like to wield such devastating power. It's an awesome responsibility."

Aang didn't really agree.

"I try not to think about it too much." He said shrugging casually.

"Avatar, you're ready to face the Fire Lord now." General Fong said calmly and everyone was taken back in shock.

"What?! No I'm not!" Aang protested, clearly shocked. Katara held up her hands in reasoning.

"Aang still needs to master the four elements." Katara explained.

"Why?" General Fong asked. "With the kind of power he possesses, power enough to destroy hundreds of battle ships in a matter of minutes, he could defeat the Fire Lord now."

"But sir, the thing is, Aang can only do those things when he's in the Avatar State." Sokka said, his tone slightly confused.

"See, it's a special state where-" Aang began but General Fong sliced his hand through the air, cutting him off.

"I'm well aware!" He said sharply. "Your eyes and tattoos glow and you're able to summon unbelievable power. Without you, we'd be slaughtered before we even reach their shores."

He looked at the map behind him and traced his finger from his base location to the Fire Nation. "But with you leading the way, as the ultimate weapon, we could cut a swath right through to the heart of the Fire Nation." Now that comment _really_ annoyed Eira. She always hated it when people treated others as "weapons" just because they were strong.

"Aang is _not_ a weapon. He is a person. The reason Aang had _that_ much power was because the Ocean and Moon spirit merged powers with him as well." Eira said. "Aang can't trigger the Avatar state at will, and I doubt he'd be able to _until_ he masters all elements and becomes a fully realised Avatar."

General Fong looked irritated at Eira's outburst and Aang, Katara and Sokka looked at her obviously confused at her surprising amount of knowledge but it did seem to make sense to them.

"So it's decided. I'll help you figure out how to get into the Avatar state and then you'll face your destiny." General Fong said, clearly just ignoring what Eira had just said.

Eira stood up, annoyed.

"No. Aang needs to master all four elements first! It's unlikely that he'd be able to master the Avatar state without becoming a fully realised Avatar!"

"Well, while you take your time learning the elements, the war goes on." Then General Fong gestured to Aang and then to the window. "May I show you something?"

After casting a nervous look at his friends, looking for support, Aang slowly walked over to General Fong and looked out of the window.

Eira crossed her arms. She didn't like where this was going, now this was looking familiar and Eira remembered a bit more about the episode. They were just going to waste time trying to get Aang into the Avatar state. Eira didn't really want to go through with this and watch General Fong trying, and promptly failing, to get Aang into the Avatar state.

Eira sighed. She had to show support to her friend. It was only natural that he didn't want to witness even more people being injured in the war. But it was so frustrating because Eira _knew_ that he could do it in time. Sure people would be hurt, it was a fact of war, but they could still do it in time to save the Earth Kingdom and the rest of the nations from Fire Lord Ozai's wrath.

Eira looked over at Aang and she was Aang look back unsurely. Eira tried to communicate her support and disapproval at the same time silently but she wasn't sure if Aang got the message.

Eira, Sokka, Katara and Aang were directed to two rooms where they'd be staying. One room for Katara and Eira and one for Sokka and Aang and after looking around, they all gathered in Aang and Sokka's room.

Aang looked nervously around the group, as if thinking over what he was about to say as he sat on his bed.

"I told the general I'd help him, by going into the Avatar State." He admitted. Katara looked at him, clearly shocked.

"Aang, no! This is not the right way!" She protested, clearly disapproving. Sokka was the opposite to his sister. He lied on his back, arms behind his head and he didn't look bothered at all.

"Why not? Remember when he took out the Fire Navy?" Sokka asked, his eyes widening as he remembered it. "He was incredible!" Eira looked down at her feet awkwardly.

"Yeah, but that wasn't all him. The Ocean and Moon spirits contributed a lot to that victory and… while Aang was incredible, he was also pretty terrifying. That kind of power, if uncontrolled, can be fatal to a lot of people." Eira said softly, looking up at Aang. "General Fong's treating you as a weapon, Aang, and I know you're much more than that."

"But Eira, I'm just being realistic. I don't have time to learn all of the elements." Aang said. Eira got up and turned towards the door.

"The thing is, Aang. You do have time." She said, leaving the room and waking over to the room for her and Katara. _I __**know**__ you have time._

Eira didn't have fantastic sleep. She felt awful about Aang. Katara had entered their room silently just after Eira but she could tell that she was fuming. She'd probably spent a while trying to speak sense to her brother and Aang but one of them was a stereotypical male who loved the idea of just "glow it up and blow it up" and the other was a twelve-year-old boy who had the weight of a war on his shoulders so it wasn't a surprise that she didn't make any progress.

General Fong had sent someone to wake them up for the first try of getting Aang into the Avatar state… _Oh joy!_

They were all knelt behind Aang as he, General Fong and some sort of tea man sat around a table.

The tea man poured some sort of powder into the tea pot and tipped the contents of the pot into Aang's cup.

"This rare chi-enhancing tea is a natural stimulant. In an ordinary warrior, it improves strength and energy ten-fold. In you, it may induce the Avatar state." The tea man explained but Eira was only half-listening. Her head was resting on her hand as she looked out at the scenery around them.

_Yeah, no. It won't. This is just a waste of time._ Aang looked curiously at the tea cup as he picked it up.

"Ten-fold energy, huh?" He muttered, drinking the tea. There was silence for a while and then Aang went crazy. He scooted around on an orb of air and flew around the courtyard. Eira stayed still, not fazed as Aang quickly scooted past, causing her scarf to flutter in the wind.

"What a surprise, it didn't work." Eira muttered sarcastically.

"I guess he could talk the Fire Lord to death." Sokka said tiredly. Aang zipped around faster and faster before slamming into a column and falling backwards.

Then they moved to another section of the base to try out Sokka's idea.

Aang sat in front of Sokka and Eira and Katara sat to the right of him.

"Maybe I can shock you into the Avatar state." Sokka said. Aang beamed up at him.

"I love surprises!" Aang said cheerfully as Katara covered his eyes, making sure he couldn't see Sokka grabbing Momo, who squawked in protest, and stuff him in his shirt above his head.

Katara uncovered Aang's eyes as Sokka towered over Aang and raised his hands creepily as Momo, who looked like he'd replaced Sokka's head, screeched at Aang. Aang cried out in fear as he almost fell back but then he stopped to looked at his tattoos.

"Nope. Still not glowing." He said, holding up his hands to prove his point. Eira sighed again. They were getting nowhere but General Fong apparently had more ideas as he lead them to another room.

They managed to dress Aang in a stupid get up with a Water tribe cloak, an Earth Kingdom hat with leaves growing out of the top and a piece of a Fire Nation army uniform over Aang's airbender clothes. Eira smirked. _Lucky for them Aang was wearing airbender clothes or this plan would be pointless._

The room was dimly lit and Aang stood awkwardly in front of an elderly man, who was apparently an "oracle" and holding a jug in front of a wooden bowl.

"You are wearing a ceremonial piece of clothing from each of the bending nations. Now I will join the four elements into one!" He announced grandly, pouring the water from the jug into the bowl. "Water!" Then he picked up some dirt and threw it in. "Earth! Fire!" He grabbed a torch from beside him and threw it at the bowl before putting it back. He grabbed a pair of bellows and blasted the bowl with it. "Air! Four elements together as one!"

The oracle picked up the bowl and threw it at Aang, coating him with the mud,

"This is just mud!" Aang said, clearly annoyed at having mud thrown in his face.

"So… do you feel anything?" The oracle asked quizzically. Aang raised a finger, catching their interest but as his nose twitched, Eira tried to get into a defensive airbending pose because as he sneezed, as an airbender, he caused the mud to fly everywhere, coating Fong, Sokka and Katara.

"We have to find a way." Fong said, wiping the mud away from his face.

"Why? We've wasted enough time trying this?!" Eira said sharply. "It's clearly not going to work." Eira then stormed out, frustrated. They'd wasted nearly an entire day doing this when they should just be travelling to Omashu and she was even more annoyed to see that it was already sunset.

Eira walked over to her room and threw herself onto her bed, eager to rest and she quickly fell asleep, only to slightly wake up when Katara walked in.

No one was sent to wake them up so Eira managed to sleep in for once and she had to admit it was nice.

"Hey, Katara. You also not watching General Fong trying to get Aang into the Avatar state?" Eira asked, sitting up.

"Yeah… I can't understand why he's still doing this." She muttered.

"I'm not entirely sure either. General Fong's plan is stupid, if Aang goes into the Avatar state, it's unlikely that he'd be able to control it long enough to get to the Fire Nation." Eira said. They both sat in silence for a while and Eira didn't feel right. Like, she _should _be watching their training sessions.

"I'm.. I'm going to get some, uh, food." Eira said, quickly walking out of the room, grabbing her glider, just in case. Eira ran up to General Fong's war room and was shocked when she saw a desk being flung at Aang and when two Earth Kingdom soldiers grabbed her arms from behind, forcing her to drop her glider.

Eira struggled, trying to get herself out of their grip.

"Sokka! What's going on?!" She asked, her mind still a bit fuzzy.

"General Fong's attacking Aang!" He yelled, in a similar situation to Eira. A huge hole was blasted in the wall where the desk had been thrown at Aang.

Eira tried to crane her neck to see if Aang was okay but she found her movement incredibly restricted.

"What are you doing?!" Aang asked, clearly alarmed as his voice managed to be heard from inside the room. General Fong stood at the edge of the hole in his wall and looked down.

"I believe we're about to get results." He said slyly and Eira's eyes widened. _Ohhhh… This is the part where he goes berserk…_ She thought in realisation.

From outside, Eira could hear a lot of fighting. It sounded incredibly one-sided fighting. Almost the entire base was focused on attacking Aang.

Eira struggled more and she looked down at the two soldiers' feet and smiled slyly. She quickly jumped up and slammed the heels of her boots into their feet, using her airbending to make her descent onto their feet even more powerful and as the hopped back in pain, she lashed her feet out again but this time it connected with a more… _sensitive_ part.

Sokka, catching on, quickly did the same and as Eira ducked to snatch her staff off the floor, she and Sokka ran out of the room to make their way down to the courtyard where Aang was being assaulted.

The whole area was in chaos. The Earth Kingdom emblem-shaped tiles had been earthbent out of the walls and they were being sent at Aang, who somehow managed to dodge them. Aang landed on top of the coins and quickly jumped off, trying to escape their fighting.

He airbent an airball and scooted up the wall, two soldiers on ostrich-horses following closely, spears in hand.

Sokka and Eira just watched in horror as the fighting went on, Eira holding her hands in front of her mouth in horror as Aang narrowly avoided being skewered by the spears.

"We need to help him." Eira said, still horrified as they ran down the steps and ran into Katara at the base of the stairs.

"What's going on?" Katara asked frantically, he blue eyes wide in confusion and fear.

"The general's gone crazy! He's trying to force Aang into the Avatar State!" Sokka explained, pulling out his boomerang and throwing it at a man on an ostrich-horse.

Katara unplugged her water skin and threw it forcefully at another man as Eira flicked open her glider and flew over to another, kicking him in the head and knocking him off his steed.

"Uh… Sorry." Eira quickly apologised as she looked down at the man.

Behind her, Sokka was approaching an ostrich-horse cautiously, moving slowly towards it, hands outstretched.

"Good…bird…horse thingy…" He muttered nervously as he tried to mount it. Katara snapped a spear in half by striking them with water but as Sokka was taken away because of the ostrich-horse quickly galloping away, Katara and Eira were left in the centre and Eira was suddenly aware of how surrounded they were, the coins all angled to be launched at them and General Fong standing a couple of metres in front of them.

Eira tensed, trying to angle herself as if to protect Katara.

"Maybe you can avoid me… but _they_ can't." General Fong threatened and Eira almost growled.

Katara quickly tried to water whip General Fong but he turned the water to mud by sending earth into it and then, without really thinking, Eira sent Katara flying up with her airbending and as Eira got ready to jump herself, just a split-second after Katara, Eira's legs buckled as the ground she was supposed to be jumping off caved in around her and Eira sank to her knees.

_Well, this is crap._ Eira thought as she pushed her arms against the previously soft ground and she found, to her dismay, the ground was as hard as stone again. _And this is just perfect._

Katara was thrown up onto a circle and Eira was quickly starting to panic as she began to sink even deeper into the ground.

Being buried alive was one of the methods of dying Eira absolutely _hated_ the idea of. The thought of a rapidly diminishing air supply, the darkness, the pressure of being underground. Just the thought of made Eira's heartrate skyrocket.

"I-I can't move!" Eira said, panic rising in her voice as she struggled. Aang looked at her, terrified and he clenched his fists.

"Don't hurt her!" Aang said, sending a gust of wind at General Fong but he created a wall of earth to protect himself. Eira cried out as she sank deeper into the ground, now up to her waist in earth. She couldn't even feel her legs and it was terrifying. She was about to be buried alive!

"Eira! No!" Sokka yelled, trying to ride up on the ostrich-horse but General Fong sank the animal's feet into the ground and sent Sokka flying into the air and winding him as he was stopped by landing in the centre of one of the coins.

Aang looked desperately at General Fong as Eira tried to get out but it was becoming increasingly difficult.

"Stop this!" Aang yelled, clutching General Fong's arm. "You have to let her go!"

"You could save her if you were in the Avatar state!" General Fong said, his voice clear of emotion.

"I'm trying… I'm trying!" Aang said, tears brimming in his eyes as Eira was sank up to her chest. Luckily, it felt like her heart was nowhere near her chest as it was beating in her throat.

Eira let out a strangled gasp as she sank. She really didn't want to pile more pressure on Aang by asking for his help but she was really starting to panic. The earth was compacted around her chest, restricting her breathing and a sheen of sweat was forming on her forehead.

"A-Aang! I-I'm sinking!" She stuttered, her fast breathing interfering with her speech.

"I don't see glowing!" General Fong said demandingly. "Go into the Avatar state or the last of your kind is gone!" _YOU EFFING BASTARD! _Eira thought angrily, He was really threatening to kill some of the last of Aang's nation.

General Fong clenched his hand into a fist and Eira sank down to her neck.

"Please! Stop!" Eira cried, absolutely terrified. Aang fell to his knees next to General Fong, begging now.

"You don't need to do this!" Aang said, tears nearly falling down his face.

"Apparently, I do." Fong said scornfully and then… everything went dark as Eira was pulled under. Eira couldn't breathe and she was quickly losing consciousness. She couldn't form a rational thought. She was underground. Completely submerged by hard earth. She couldn't escape.

As Eira was about to finally about to black out, she was sent flying upwards and as she saw light, she took a deep breath. As oxygen filled her body, Eira blinked and saw Aang in the Avatar state. Air flying around him and his tattoos and eyes glowing. He looked so other-worldly and powerful it was terrifying.

"Avatar Aang! Can you hear me? Your friend is safe!" General Fong said, gesturing to Eira. "It was just a trick to trigger the Avatar State and it worked!" He said, a maniacal smile on his face and as Eira looked back at Aang, she saw him in his orb of air and slam down into the ground, causing a flurry of dust to spread around the courtyard, sending General Fong flying backwards and slamming him into a wall but somehow missing Eira who managed to stay still, rooted to the ground.

As the dust cleared, Eira saw the place in ruins. The large earthy coins were embedded in the walls and the neat, clean walls and floor were shattered and broken.

_Wow… I know Aang's powerful, but seeing it first-hand is so much different._ Eira thought, in awe of Aang's power.

Aang stood still, not moving as he stayed in the Avatar state and Eira got up slowly, still a bit dizzy from the lack of oxygen and panic. Eira looked around at herself and was incredibly surprised to see that she was completely unharmed. She looked around and saw Sokka and Katara were also unharmed.

It was practically impossible, but it was true. Katara walked up to Aang as did Eira as the glow slowly faded and he fell to the floor.

Katara reached down and hugged Aang, and Eira looked at him concerned. Aang opened his eyes, clearly weakened and he looked at both Eira and Katara regretfully.

"I'm so sorry. I hope you never have to see me like that again…" He said.

"Ha! Are you joking?" General Fong said triumphantly as he approached the trio. "That was almost perfect." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "We just have to find out a way to control you when you're like that."

Aang looked up at him angrily.

"You're out of your mind."

"I guess we'll figure it out to the Fire Nation." General Fong said. And then, his timing almost perfect, Sokka rode up behind the general on the ostrich-horse and struck him on the head with his club, knocking him out cold.

"Thank you!" Eira said gratefully. "Why didn't I think of that before?" She muttered under her breath. The soldiers around them looked at each other awkwardly and then at the group.

"Do you still want an escort to Omashu?" One of them asked and Eira glared at them.

"I think we're going to be fine." Eira said and they soon got all of their things ready and they all boarded Appa and flew off and Eira sighed in relief. She was getting increasingly happy to leave these places. She wasn't having the greatest of experiences lately and she doubted they were going to get a lot better as they were getting closer to the end.

* * *

**Yay(!) Another crazy army person/politician (the show has a lot of them, don't they) and it's time to add being buried alive to Eira's near-death experiences.**

**I hope you liked Book 2 and I'll be posting the next one soon.**

**Please review and follow to see when I post the next chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2-The Labyrinth

**Sorry this took so long but I've had to do a lot of revision lately.**

**I hope you like this, even if this is a filler chapter. **

**Just to inform you, the "3" at the end of some of the chapters in Book 1 was supposed to be a heart but for some reason, the inequality signs don't show up and it was just left with the "3".**

**So, hope you like the chapter and please review!**

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Chapter 2: The Labyrinth

* * *

Eira stretched out happily as she sat next to a small little body of water, leaning on the tall rock formations that jutted out of it and absorbed the heat of the sun. She was wearing her old t-shirt because it was a lot cooler than her tunic and they seemed pretty isolated so Eira didn't really care if anyone saw them.

Katara and Aang were training in the water, both wearing more water-suitable clothing and Sokka was simply floating and relaxing on a large leaf.

Eira had chosen to stay out of the water and it looked like she was the only one, except Momo, as even Appa was relaxing in the water, floating on his back and looking adorable.

Eira wasn't really doing anything specific. She was just enjoying the gentle breeze and the warmth of the sun. It was a completely different atmosphere compared to how it had been for the majority of their journey.

It felt more like the penguin sledding from when Eira had first really met Aang and Katara.

Speaking of, it was so cute to watch them training but Sokka didn't really think it was as sweet as Eira thought.

"You guys are going to be done soon, right?" He asked, his head resting on his arms as he floated on the leaf, his dark brown hair out of its short ponytail and covering his eyes. "We have a lot of ground to cover if we're going to make it to Omashu today."

Katara rose from her hunched-over waterbending pose and turned to face him smugly.

"What? Like you're ready to go right now, half-naked guy?" She asked, smiling in a similar smug fashion.

Eira smiled from next to the water,

"On that note, put some clothes on!" Eira called teasingly.

"Ha ha! But I could be ready in to minutes. Seriously." He said, laughing sarcastically and brushing his hair out of his eyes. "Whenever you say."

Katara and Eira both rolled their eyes and then laughed. Eira scratched Momo's ears and stroked his fur absent-mindedly as she watched Katara and Aang.

If she closed her eyes, it almost felt like she was back home a couple of years ago, when her cat, Peaches, was still alive and Eira sat next to a paddling pool watching Jenna mess around… Eira really missed her sister, thinking about her and her family made her chest feel like it was being bound by a boa constrictor.

Katara turned around and flicked her wrist, causing a small splash of water to hit her brother before turning her attention back to Aang.

"Sooo, you were showing me the octopus form?" Aang asked as Sokka looked at Katara, annoyed as he brushed the water off his face.

"Right, let me see your stance." Katara said, ignoring her brother's annoyed glare.

Aang took a crouched, defensive position, ankle-deep in the water and Katara looked at it thoughtfully, resting her chin on her hand before walking up to him.

Katara ducked under his right arm and stood behind him, resting her hands on his arms.

"Your arms are too far apart." She said, pushing his arms closer together in front of his chest.

"See, if you move them closer together, you protect your centre. You got it?" She asked and as Aang looked back at her, he blushed.

"Oh, yeah… thanks." He stuttered nervously.

Katara walked away and faced him, taking a fighting stance.

"Okay, let's see what you got." She said. Eira smiled. It was fun to watch their training sessions and it was interesting to see the waterbending.

Aang then proceeded to bend the water, creating a large globule of water that separated into eight tentacle-like streams of water. They moved around ever-so-slightly as Aang prepared to defend himself.

Katara smiled again and shot water at him, turning the water into icy spikes as they flew at Aang.

Aang moved his arms and the water caught some of the ice and broke it as well as deflecting others. Katara threw the spikes rapidly at him and Aang managed to deflect all of them and as he began to send the eighth water arm at Katara and it grabbed her leg firmly and pulled on it..

Katara looked down in surprise and smiled proudly.

"You make a fine octopus, Pupil Aang." She said, looking back up to see Aang morphing the arms into an octopus shape.

Eira laughed as she watched Aang dance around inside the water, puffing out his cheeks as he held his breath and the arms danced around with him.

"Aang, you're certainly a piece of work." Eira said, shaking her head but still laughing until she heard something in the distance.

"Wait, what's that?" She asked, looking around as the sounds became clearer. It was a strange twanging music.

A bunch of colourful, flowery people were dancing and singing as they moved down the dirt road, playing instruments as they did.

Eira saw them and she tried to hide her horror. The hippy nomads… they were here. _Crud! They were _so annoying in the show

"Da, da, da. Don't fall in love with the traveling girl. She'll leave you broke and broken-hearted." The man in the middle sang as he bounced along the path, strumming his small guitar-like instrument.

Katara and Aang stopped their waterbending and looked at them oddly and Sokka tried to look up from his leaf but he managed to fall off and land in the water, creating a large splash.

The man then stopped singing as he saw them and the people around him stopped dancing and playing their instruments.

The man pointed at the group and waved.

"Hey, river people!" He said. His voice was calm and carefree but also a bit… sleepy, maybe? It sounded slowed either way.

"We're, uh, not river people." Katara said, looking around at Aang and Sokka unsurely and a bit confused.

"You're not?" He asked, puzzled. "Then what kind of people are you?"

"Just...people." Aang said.

The man smiled and gestured grandly.

"Aren't we all, brother?" He said cheerfully.

Eira stood up as Sokka walked over to them and pointed at the accusingly, still soaked from falling into the water.

"Who are you?" He asked, glaring at them.

"I'm Chong, and this is my wife Lily." Chong said, gesturing to himself and the woman next to him. She wore a headdress over her shoulder-length brown hair and a flower was pinned in the middle, it was probably a lily of some sort if her name was a hint.

"We're nomads, happy to go wherever the wind takes us." He said, then strumming crazy rock star-like on his guitar-like instrument. It was quite odd compared to his more flowy personality and carefree voice.

"You guys are nomads?" Aang asked in a slightly puzzled tone then he smiled widely and his voice became more excited. "That's great! I'm a nomad!"

Chong looked just as excited as Aang.

"Hey, us too!"

"Uh, I know… You just said that." Aang said, looking at them blankly. Eira observed them all silently, a bit dumbstruck at how this was playing out. It was kind of weird to see how sincere they were in their responses.

"Oh." Chong said, as he looked at Sokka, a bit creepily. "Nice underwear…"

Sokka looked down at his underwear and his eyes widened in the realisation he was just wearing his underwear in front of a group of complete strangers.

Sokka grabbed Momo, who was sitting peacefully next to where Eira had been sitting, and strategically placed him in front of himself as he sprinted away to put his clothes back on.

Eira looked down at her own clothing and quickly decided that she should go put on her tunic. Even though these people were very odd themselves, she didn't really feel too comfortable wearing her clothes from home in front of people from this world, with the exception of Aang, Katara and Sokka.

She grabbed her tunic and quickly threw it on as the nomads quickly began to talk to Katara and Aang. They were absolutely fascinated by Appa and they were braiding his fur.

"The giant night crawler is a sight to see, my friends. Its fifty feet long, pitch black and it has the power to paralyse someone by just looking at them… or does it kidnap people and choke them… I get it confused with the elephant-parslesnake." Chong was saying as Eira walked back.

_I wonder if these stories are actually true._ Eira thought as she saw everyone lounging around Appa. A woman was making several wreaths of different coloured flowers. She passed a wreath of pink flowers to Aang and placed it on his bald head.

Aang tried to look up at his forehead and he smiled widely. The flower crown on his head reminded Eira of when she was in primary school and would make daisy crowns for her and her friends. _I'm certainly in a reminiscing mood lately._ Eira thought, realising that she was thinking about her old life a lot.

As Eira sat down in a free spot near Appa, she pulled out the map that Pakku had given her. They hadn't really made a plan of how they were getting to Omashu and Eira wanted to plan a way to get there.

Eira traced her finger on the paper absent-mindedly as she looked for Omashu and roughly where they were. The problem with a full world map was that it didn't have a lot of detail.

Sokka was very disappointed when he found that out because he wanted to see if the Fire Lord's palace was on the map. Eira didn't really know what he was expecting though, a secret passage to the Fire Lord's bedroom and free killing weapons on the way?

Sadly, as Eira found Omashu, she saw that it was surrounded by a large set of mountain ranges and the ocean. Not very good for a simple smooth flight. No wonder she didn't remember them simply flying to Omashu.

As she looked at the map, Eira felt something touch her head and she jumped embarrassingly. It turned out the woman who was making the wreaths was just placing a purple flower crown on her head, but Eira had managed to send her work into the water.

Eira felt her face burn as she looked apologetically at the flowers and then back at the woman.

"Uh, sorry." _Smooth, Eira… Very smooth._ Eira thought, silently scolding herself. She was still surprisingly jumpy.

The woman resumed with her carefree smile and made her way back to make more flower crowns. Chong continued to tell tall tales and Lily was plaiting Katara's hair as Aang listened intently. Chong would casually strum his lute (Eira asked what it was) and Moku was absent-mindedly lying on his back and looking at the clouds.

After a while, Sokka finally re-joined them.

"Hey, Sokka, you should hear some of these stories. These guys have been everywhere!" Aang said excitedly and Eira couldn't help but smirk knowingly. _Haven't been in a million places in my world._ She thought, though she understood that they meant _this_ world and have probably never even thought about a world like hers existing.

Chong stopped playing to correct Aang.

"Well, not everywhere, my Little Arrowhead. But where we haven't been, we've heard about through stories and songs." And, as if to make his point clearer, he strummed on his lute to indicate the songs.

Aang turned back to Sokka, his smile wider than ever.

"They said they'll take us to see a giant night crawler!" He explained but Sokka didn't look amused or excited. Moku rolled over to get a better look at Aang and Sokka and gestured grandly and dreamily with his arms as he spoke.

"On the way, there's a waterfall that creates a never-ending rainbow!" His voice was dream-like and it felt like it was floating and Eira did have to admit that a waterfall and a never-ending rainbow did sound beautiful.

"Look, I hate to be the wet blanket here, but since Katara's busy and Eira's not saying anything, I guess it's up to me." Sokka said, earning the glares from Katara and Eira.

"In my defence, I'm usually a wet blanket around, you know, fire. Also known as the situations you manage to get us into." Eira said defensively, a little peeved that Sokka called her a wet blanket.

"Hey, it's not always me! But we need to get to Omashu." Sokka said, swiftly trying to ignore the death glares. "No side-tracks, no night crawlers and definitely _no_ rainbows." _It's funny how he was most determined to avoid the least threatening option._ Eira thought, smiling to herself.

"Wow! Sounds like someone has a case of destination fever. You're worried too much about where you're going." Chong said, stopping his strumming again.

"You've got to focus less on the _where_ and more on the _going_." Lily said, her grand gestures accidently tugging at Katara's plait.

"O-MA-SHU!" Sokka said impatiently.

Katara looked at the Nomads apologetically.

"Sokka's right. We need to find King Bumi, so Aang can learn earthbending somewhere safe." Katara said. Chong looked at her, somewhat blankly.

"Sounds like you're going to Omashu." He said and Sokka smacked his forehead in frustration as Eira did the same, but mentally instead. Did he have some sort of short-term memory loss?

"Ya' know there's an old story about a secret pass right through the mountains?" Cong said and Katara looked at him sceptically.

"Is this real, or a legend?" She asked.

"Legends are usually based on truth." Eira said, butting in. "Myths are the ones that come from absolutely nothing."

"Yep, it's a real legend. And it's as old as earthbending itself." He said, starting to strum louder, starting to get into a proper melody. "_Two lovers, forbidden from one another, the war divides their people._" Then Moku began to tap on his drum and Lily started to play her flute. "_And the mountain divides them apart! Built a path to be together._" Then he quickly stopped, a puzzled look on his face.

"Yeah, I forget the next couple of lines, but then it goes…. _Secret tunnel! Secret tunnel! Through the mountains, secret, secret, secret, secret tunnel!_ Yeah!" The song sounded surprisingly good and it definitely had energy, but there was something about Chong's voice that annoyed Eira.

As the song stopped, everyone began to applaud and Eira went along, and, to her surprise, a genuine smile crept onto her face. But Sokka was as unamused as ever.

"I think we'll just stick with flying. We've dealt with the Fire Nation before. We'll be fine." Sokka said dryly. Aang jumped up and patted Appa's fur.

"Yeah, thanks for the help, but Appa hates going underground." He then flashed a large smile. "And we need to do whatever makes Appa most comfortable."

_Why does that line fill me with such dread?_ Eira thought, her body feeling like it was turning to ice.

o.O.o

Appa was flying past a small Cliffside and, guess what, they were met with an entire line of Fire Navy ships. As Appa swerved to try and avoid the giant fiery projectiles that were flying through the sky.

Eira, Sokka, Katara and Aang all held on for life as Appa flew around, erratically moving as they all screamed. New waves of fire were constantly being shot at them as Eira tried to hold herself against the saddle, feeling the heat brush over her as they flew over her head.

_Ohhh, this is why._

o.O.o

As Appa landed back near the water and they all got off, all scorched and completely covered in ash.

The all walked past the nomads in single-file, all annoyed, and as Sokka walked past him he gestured at them.

"Secret love cave, let's go." He said dryly and the nomads, after a moment of pause, they stood up and joined them.

The walk was spent in silence from the Gaang but the nomads made up for it with boisterous singing and talking. Eira brushed off her clothes and wiped her face so she could clean herself of the ash as it was starting to become really annoying and she saw the others do the same.

The ground was starting to form a small ditch and the trees were beginning to branch over, creating a natural tunnel that looked amazing.

"How far away are we from the tunnel?" Sokka asked, looking around.

"Actually, it's not just one tunnel." Chong said as they continued to walk. "The lovers didn't want anyone to find out about their love, so they built an entire labyrinth underground."

Sokka and Eira stopped in their traps. _Under…ground… again? Really!?_

"A labyrinth?" Sokka said, shocked. _Damn!_ Eira thought. _Now I remember. The caves._ Just what she needed.

"Oh, I'm sure we'll figure it out." Chong said causally, walking ahead.

"All you need to do is trust in love…according to the curse." Lily said, adding the last part quickly.

"Curse!?" Sokka complained in a somewhat whiney voice.

"Sokka, I don't want to do this either, but there's no other option." Eira said quietly, beginning to walk after the group and trying to hold in her apprehension. She still barely remembered anything about the episode.

"Hey-hey! We're here!" Chong announced as the natural dip in the path lead them to a large tunnel opening.

Sokka walked briskly over to the entrance and began to read a small inscription on the side.

"So, what are the details of this curse?" Eira asked nervously as she looked at the darkness in the tunnel. She could barely see a couple of metres in.

"The curse says that only those who trust in love can make it through the caves." Chong explained. "Otherwise, you'll be trapped in them forever." _Thanks for the vote of confidence._

"And die." Lily added, oh so helpfully.

"Oh yeah, and die." Chong said, suddenly brightening. "Hey, I just remembered the rest of that song!" He stood in front of the cave entrance and strummed his lute dramatically, changing his singing voice to one that was ominous and in a low tone. "And die!"

"Okay, thanks for confirming that this is an absolutely awful idea." Eira said sarcastically, trying to hide her nervousness.

"That's it, there's no way we're going through some, some, cursed hole!" Sokka persisted, cutting his hands through the air,

Moku, who managed to keep his calm, dreaming expression, turned his head and pointed at the sky above the trees which was filled with billowing grey smoke.

"Heeeey, someone's making a big campfire…" He said and as they saw the smoke and as Eira smelt the air, she realised it wasn't a natural campfire. It was the more industrial-smelling fire the Fire Nation seemed to use.

"That's… not a campfire, Moku." Aang said, the realisation dawning on his face.

"It's the Fire Nation. They're after us." Katara said grimly. Aang quickly looked at Chong, clearly trying to make sure he understood.

"So all you need to do is trust in love to get through these caves?" Aang asked.

"That is correct, Master Arrowhead." Chong said. _First Little Arrowhead, now Master Arrowhead… He sure has variety with his names._ Eira thought.

Aang turned to see Katara and his eyes shone in adoration, the kind he only got when he saw Katara.

"We can make it." He confirmed, smiling.

Sokka pointed into the entrance commandingly.

"Everyone into the hole!" He ordered and they all filed into the cave, Appa moaning as he lumbered in.

As they moved further into the cave, taking cautionary glances back at the entrance as they began to walk further in but then, suddenly, the entrance collapsed.

There was a large crashing sound of the tumbling rocks as the metal grappling hooks shot out into the entrance and pulled them out, sending the rocks above it into the entrance and sending them into complete darkness as well as the horrible, loud echo.

As Eira blinked the dust from her eyes she saw Appa quickly freaking out, pawing desperately at the walls and Eira was pretty sure she was going to join him soon. The darkness wasn't very comforting.

"It's okay, Appa." Katara said reassuringly. "We'll be fine… I hope."

As Eira had been watching Appa and the entrance, Eira hadn't noticed that Chong and Lily had lit torches and Eira was thankful for the light, but now she could see the tonnes of rock above her that could crush them all. _Yaaaay…_

"We _will_ be fine. All we need is a plan." Sokka said before directing his attention to Chong. "Chong, how long do those torches last?"

"Uh, about two hours each." He said casually, not grasping the situation properly. Lily then, having a bright idea, lit _all_ of the torches.

"And we have five torches, so that's ten hours!" She announced, clearly proud of herself. Panicking, Eira quickly threw a blast of air at the torches, putting all of them out.

"That's not how it works!" Eira yelled, beginning to get incredibly frustrated with their ignorance.

"Oh, right." Lily mused softly. Then Sokka quickly scrambled onto saddle and pulled out a piece of graphite and some paper.

"I'm going to make a map to keep track of exactly where we've been. Then we should be able to solve it like a maze and find the exit." He explained but Eira, Aang and Katara exchanged nervous glances.

Eira could think of about a million reasons why this could not work but they didn't really have another option as she couldn't really think straight, she thought she remembered how they left, but she didn't understand how to get to it.

"So… where do we go from here?" Eira asked.

Everyone looked around at the three or so tunnels around them and Sokka, after a moment of thought, he chose the one to the right of him.

"This one." He announced, walking towards it. Katara raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Why that one?" She asked. "Wait, let me guess, you're just guessing."

"Never mind, let's just go." Sokka said quickly, confirming what Katara said. Having no reason to disagree with him, they all walked through the tunnel. The dark tunnel with barely enough room to fit Appa in.

Sadly, a couple of minutes into the tunnel, they reached a dead end.

"I guess we have to turn around now." Eira said blankly, turning around.

o.O.o

The labyrinth was certainly living up to its reputation. After the tenth or so dead end, the map that Sokka was making was a scrambled mess of lines.

After a while everyone was getting annoyed, well, the nomads weren't. They were as calm as ever but Katara was getting annoyed, Aang was getting nervous and Eira was getting even more scared. Sometimes, she felt like she heard some rumbling which was either the tunnels beginning to collapse or the tunnels moving and, since they were created by earthbenders that wasn't such a stretch.

Sokka stared at the walls of the dead end and turned him map around and moved the torch around the earth to try and find some sort of secret passage or something.

"Sokka, this is the tenth dead end you've led us to." Katara said in frustration.

"But, this doesn't make sense. We've already come this way." Sokka said.

"Maybe you didn't draw the map correctly, or the tunnels are changing. I mean, there are earthbenders around here, right?" Eira said, her arms crossed as she looked around nervously. "Moving tunnels isn't exactly out of the realm of possibility."

"That's why we don't need a map." Chong said slowly. "We just need love. The little guy knows it."

Aang smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't mind a map as well." He said.

"But if the tunnels are changing, then… how can we leave?" Sokka said ominously, leaving the question hanging in the air and with it, the nervousness settled in Chong. He looked around frantically and started moving around erratically.

"The tunnels, they're a-changin'! It must be the curse! I knew we shouldn't have come down here!" Chong said, looking out from behind his hands.

"Right… Because it _wasn't_ your idea in the first place." Eira mutter sarcastically.

"Everyone be quiet." Katara hissed. "Listen." Everyone went quiet and they all looked into the darkness behind them. And then…Eira heard it. Several low snarls echoed through the caves and Momo quickly flew up to perch himself on Aang's shoulder for protection.

Sokka cautiously edged up and held up his torch to inspect the darkness and as the light spread across the floor, a shrivelled face showed up. It had a light face and bony skeletal bat wings as well as a fury lean dog-like body.

"What the-" Eira cried out as the thing screeched and flew off back into the darkness. _THAT THING WERE IN HERE ALL THIS TIME!? _She thought, not believing it. _WHAT THE HELL!_ Eira had seen bats before, they would sometimes live in her attic, but those were cute and fluffy… That thing was not!

"It's a giant flying thing with teeth!" Chong screamed in panic, basically saying what Eira was thinking.

"No! It's a wolf-bat!" Moku said, pointing to it as it landed further back but it started to creep towards them, growling before it pounced at Eira and Sokka.

Eira tried to blast it off but its claws scratched at her scarf so she just flailed her arms around as Sokka began to freak out, swatting at it with his torch.

The small cinders fell on Eira's arms and, yelping in pain, she jumped back quickly in pain, managing to finally dislodge the bat but she bumped into Appa and the wolf-bat decided to fly over to Appa and jump of his head, making Appa completely freak out as well.

Appa ran around the tunnel, slamming into the walls and causing the wall to crumble, sending the rocks and debris to fall down on them.

As Eira's eyes widened as she saw the rocks falling down on them, paralysed with fear, but then she felt a large force slam into her and push her against Sokka and the nomads, away from the falling debris.

Eira slammed into the floor and skidded, the small stones biting into her skin as she did. Eira clenched her eyes to shield them from the dust and gravel and after a while, she blinked her eyes open and, after a second of darkness as her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she saw a large wall of rocks in front of them.

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" Eira stuttered, getting up quickly and inspecting the wall as Sokka did the same.

Eira tried to move a couple of rocks but as the rocks started to shake, she had to stop. It was structurally unsound.

"Yah it's no use." Chong said uselessly. "We're separated. But at leave you have us!" Eira's blood went immediately cold.

Sokka looked at her hopelessly.

"Can't you just blast the walls with your airbending?" Sokka asked desperately and as Eira's grip tightened on her glider, she shook her head.

"This wall is holding up the walls now. If I try, I could end up sending it all down." She explained, frustrated. "_Cachau…_ Aang! Katara! Are you okay back there?!" Eira shouted after cursing under her breath.

After a pause, they finally answered.

"Yeah." It was Aang! "But we can't remove these rocks! We're gonna just have to meet up at the exit after finding our way out!"

_Darn it… I guess we're just going to be split up._ Eira thought, annoyed, before turning back to the group.

"Well, I-I guess we just have to get out now." Eira stuttered, grimacing as she remembered the wolf-bat and the feel of its claws on her head.

Gah! It wasn't a pleasant feeling at all, and the thought of more of them in the darkness was almost nauseating and top it all off with the feeling that the walls could just collapse so easily and the memory of almost being buried alive and dying made her feel like the walls were shrinking around her.

Sokka and Eira began to walk down the tunnels, the torch lighting the way as they did and the nomads _helpfully _supplying the background music.

"Oh, don't let the cave-in get you down! Don't let the falling rocks turn your smile into a frown!" Chong sang, strumming his lute and nudging Eira as he did. Eira crossed her arms angrily. It was hard not to frown when you were separated from your friends, underground and threatened with wolf-bats and collapsing tunnels.

"When the tunnels are darkest, that's when you need a clown, hey! Don't let the cave-in get you down, Sokka, Eira!"

Sokka and Eira scowled at them.

"We _don't_ need a clown. We need a way out." Eira growled angrily, charging ahead, racking her brain for a way out. Aang and Katara made their way out by following glowing gems and… Sokka got out by…uh…. Maybe she could just use the glowing gems instead, seeing as she had completely forgot how Sokka got out in the show

Sokka was looking around, holding the torch nervously.

"Uh, Sokka? Do you mind if I borrow the torch for a quick second?" Eira asked, slightly nervous about her plan.

Sokka raised an eyebrow at her sceptically before cautiously handing her the torch.

"Alright. What are you planning to do with i-" He began but he stopped speaking quickly as Eira put the torch out. "Eira! What are you thinking?!" He shouted, his voice echoing throughout the tunnels.

"Shhh!" Eira hissed. "Just watch." She whispered as the darkness spread across the cave and then, one after another, the hundreds of green gems began to glow and light up. The light washed over Sokka's amazed face and the Nomads looked at them in awe.

"Eira… How did you-?" Sokka began but Eira shrugged.

"These were in my old world. I just recognised them." Eira quickly lied. _Well, I did sort of recognise them. So it's kind of the truth._ "It makes sense too. These tunnels are dark, so anyone who'd follow the creators of the tunnels would bring a light and get lost forever." Eira chuckled. "It's surprisingly brilliant."

"Yeah, brilliant. Apart from the fact that we'd probably die if you didn't recognise them." Sokka mutter sarcastically. Eira elbowed him.

"No, you're torches would go out eventually, so you'd eventually figure it out… If you didn't go insane from having to listen to them, or get swarmed by wolf-bats." Eira joked. _I couldn't survive that long, the fear of the tunnels and being underground would get to me before the wolf-bats._ She thought, shivering slightly, remembering the claws scratching at her head.

"Anyway, let's follow them." Eira announced, walking ahead.

Walking through the tunnels and following the green lights was a lot more calming and peaceful than wandering in the dark with just a couple of torches.

The nomads were still playing their music and singing but Eira was actually managing to tune it out.

"I hope Aang and Katara are okay." Sokka whispered as they walked.

"Don't worry, they're smart, they've probably already figured it all out." Eira reassured.

"_Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart…_" Chong sang and Sokka looked irritated and he smacked his forehead with his palm again.

"Ugh! If only they didn't sing. Maybe then, this would be tolerable." He groaned. Eira laughed.

"True, at least you've got me, though. Otherwise I'm sure you _would_ have gone insane by now." Eira said, elbowing him again.

As they continued walking, Eira spotted something dark and moving in front of them. She immediately stopped in her tracks.

"Uhhh, what's that?" She asked nervously, pointing to it. Sokka squinted his eyes and as he looked closer at it, they both then heard familiar low growls as several large wolf-bats began to race towards them.

Eira jumped back and swung her staff at them, sending them all flying into the air and running behind them out into the other side of the cave.

"Hey! You save us, Eira!" Moku said in the same dreamy voice but Eira wasn't reassured, and neither was Sokka.

"No, they were trying to get away from something!" Sokka said in realisation.

"Really?!" Eira exclaimed in frustration._ Seriously!?_

"From what?" Chong asked, oblivious, as always.

The caves began to rumble and the small stones on the ground were jumping around and vibrating as were the cave walls.

Then, without warning, the tunnel walls burst open and rocks were sent flying through the tunnel, as well as a large billowing dust cloud, and Eira raised her arm to shield her face. Then two giant creatures walked through. And by giant, Eira meant giant. It was over five times the size of her, it had brown fur with black and white stripes going from its face to its tail and it's large paws had massive Eira-length black claws.

The one badger-mole in in front of her swiped its paw at the tunnel it had just come through and it actually earthbent the tunnel closed.

"Well, I guess those are the things that are changing the tunnels." Eira whispered, absolutely terrified.

Then the two badger-moles slammed their paws down on the ground and a large spit in the earth appeared in the ground, separating the nomads from Eira and Sokka, forcing Eira and Sokka to move back to avoid falling in.

The badger-mole closest to them tried to swipe its claws at them and Eira tried to deflect them but the force of the swing sent her back several feet and then they both backed up hastily.

The badger-mole lumbered forwards, closer to them and as they continued to back up, Eira looking into the creature's blank eyes, absolutely terrified. It slammed its paw down at them again and they managed to narrowly avoid it but as they were pressed up against the wall, a musical note rung out through the tunnel.

Everyone stopped in their tracks to see Chong, who had just dropped his lute. The badger-mole looked at him curiously and cocked its head to the side.

Chong looked down at his lute and then back at the badger-mole. He picked it up gingerly and strummed it experimentally. The badger-moles seemed to like it as they quietened down and turned to listen more clearly.

"Hey, those thinks are music lovers!" Chong said cheerily. He continued to play a tune and Sokka and Eira shared nervous glances before singing timidly.

"Badger-moles are coming towards me. Come on please, help us now!" Eira sang, looking back at the nomads desperately, singing was _not_ her forte.

Catching on, for once, the nomads started singing and playing louder.

"The big, bad badger-moles who earthbend the tunnels, hate the wolf-bats, but love the sounds!"

The badger-moles sat down in front of Chong and the others and Sokka looked at them, his eyes sparkling with a new idea.

Eira looked from him and the badger-moles and finally caught on to his idea.

"Really, no. You can't be-" Eira started but then she saw his expression and her face fell. "You are, aren't you?"

"Yep!" Sokka said, walking across the tail of the badger-mole and sat on it. He turned around to look at Eira and he gestured to the badger-mole's back.

Eira rolled her eyes. They could've just walked a peaceful walk, just following the pretty green gems, but _no_. They just _had_ to go with the badger-mole option.

Eira walked nervously across the badger-mole's back and sat down next to Sokka.

"Hey! Chong! Can you get them to get us out of here?" Sokka asked loudly. Chong nodded and started playing a new song.

"_Badger-moles, get us out of this tunnel, come on, and be a pal. You love listening to my song, now time to take us where we belong!_" He sang and the badger-moles went to work, using their earthbending to quickly build a large tunnel and after a couple of minutes, they were outside.

The glaring light of the sun and the change of being in sunlight from being in a dark tunnel with low light, Eira was temporarily blinded and sneezed right off the badger-mole.

Eira flew into the air and landed hard on the ground. _Damn airbending!_

"Sokka! Eira!" Eira turned to see Katara and Aang running up to them. Eira smiled and stood up to hug them.

"I am so happy to see you guys." Eira said, relieved to see them again and to be out of the caves. Underground didn't suit her.

"How did you guys get out?" Sokka asked curiously.

"It was just like the legend said, we let love lead the way." Aang said, smiling sheepishly at Katara.

"Really? Well, we let Eira and huge, ferocious beasts lead our way. Not that there's much difference between them." Sokka explained.

"Hey!" Eira exclaimed, scowling at him but he just smiled.

"See, just like that. I cannot tell the difference." He said, receiving a well-deserved elbow in the stomach, effectively winding him and sending him to the ground.

"So, uh, how was it, Eira?" Katara asked, slightly nervous due to the fact that her brother was collapsed on the ground.

"It was infuriating." Eira said bluntly. "And terrifying."

Chong walked over to them and looked at Aang who was behind them, talking to the other nomads.

"Nobody react to what I'm about to tell you: I think that kid might be the Avatar!" He whispered, looking at Aang. Eira rolled her eyes.

"I think that explains the infuriating part." Katara giggled.

After Aang talked with them, the nomads began to walk away, but as Chong walked past, he threw a flower necklace around Sokka's neck.

"Now, I hope you learned a little something about not letting the plans get in the way of the journey." He said and Sokka looked away, irritated but sounding almost defeated.

"Just, play your songs…" he said and Chong perked up.

"Hey! Good plan!" He began to strum his lute and sing as he walked away with his group. "_Even if you're lost, you can't lose the love because it's in your heart. Da, da, da .._."

Aang looked at Katara happily as they listened to the song and Katara blushed as they all turned around to walk over the mountainside, Appa walking behind them as they did.

As they approached the peak, Sokka smiled and gestured grandly.

"The journey was long and annoying, but now you get to see what it's really about: the destination." He said. "I present to you, the Earth Kingdom of O-" He paused as they all saw what was down there. "Oh no…"

Eira saw Omashu down in the chasm and what she saw was a captured, horrible city with large Fire Nation flags and smoke pouring out of it.

"This isn't good." Eira whispered, her hand over her face in shock. This wasn't going to be fun.

* * *

**Next chapter, we face Azula. I wonder how this will work as Eira can probably annoy Azula to the point of "death-by-lightning"**

**Anyway, I hope you liked the chapter, thanks for all of the reviews, favourites and follows so far and please review and tell me what you think.**


	3. Chapter 3- I'm Not Good With Kids

**Okay, so I know I haven't posted in forever but it was my first week back at school and I had to go through three mock exams... and I also have to have my _real_ exam on wednesday and I was revising for that as well as trying to write this.**

**So, enough with the excuses and I hope you enjoy the chapter.**

**Please review! :D**

* * *

Chapter 3: I'm Not Good With Kids

* * *

It felt weird, the sky was bright blue, the sun was shining and the clouds were fluffy and white as they floated past but beneath it and its beauty, Omashu was an abomination. It was covered in ash and smoke was spewing out of the many new steel buildings.

Aang looked down at the city with disgust and shock and Eira understood the feeling. When did this happen in the show? _Damn it! It was probably in one of the episodes I'm unfamiliar with._

"I can't believe it. I know the War has spread far, but Omashu always seemed…untouchable." Aang said, his voice soft, barely above a whisper.

Sokka crossed his arms angrily and glared at the Fire Nation flags.

"Up until now, it was. Now Ba Sing Se is the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left." Sokka muttered. Eira shivered slightly.

Ba Sing Se was incredibly creepy in her memory, so that being the only great Earth Kingdom stronghold left was pretty sad for the Earth Kingdom.

Eira looked down at the city as Katara approached Aang sadly.

"This is horrible, but we have to move on." Katara said and Aang and Eira looked at her in shock.

"What? But this is Aang's friend we're talking about." Eira exclaimed.

"We're finding Bumi." Aang agreed. As Aang began to flick open his glider, Sokka reached out to grab his arm.

"Aang, stop. We don't even know i-if Bumi's still…" Sokka said, trailing off at the end.

Aang glared at him.

"What?! If he's still what?" He asked angrily. Sokka looked taken back.

"A-around…" He said unsurely.

"Sokka, King Bumi is an incredible earthbender. Probably the best in this world, how would _he_… be taken by the Fire Nation?" Eira said, trying to avoid saying that he was killed.

Katara looked nervously at the two airbenders, obviously trying to figure out how to get her point across.

"Aang, I know you had your heart set on Bumi, but there are plenty of other people that can teach you earthbending." She said but Aang continued to look determinedly at Omashu.

"This isn't about finding a teacher. This is about finding a friend." He said, taking his glider.

"Eira, you take Katara, there's a passage down there." Aang instructed, pointing down at the base of the city.

Eira nodded and flicked her own glider open. Aang jumped off and grabbed Sokka as he did and Eira followed suit but with Katara holding on instead.

It was surprisingly hard to lift both herself and Katara down to the base but, thankfully, she managed to do it without plummeting down into the abyss with the cabbages from the last time they were here.

Aang walked them around the city to a large circular steel plate.

"A secret passage?" Sokka said quizzically and slightly frustrated. "Why didn't we just use this last time?"

Aang pulled on the plate and with one final pull, he opened it and a wave of sewage poured out and everyone stepped back to avoid it.

"Eww." Eira complained.

"That answer your question, Sokka?" Aang asked.

Aang jumped inside and began to walk up, and after a moment of hesitation, they all followed him. Katara using her waterbending to avoid being hit with the sewage and Eira and Aang used their airbending to move it out of the way and, at Eira's suggestion, Sokka stayed behind Katara to avoid it as well but there were still moments where he slipped and fell down into the sewage and… Eira thought that Katara was sometimes a bit too_ lucky_ when it would hit him right in the face when she was waterbending it away.

It was a surprisingly steep climb to the top but it was thankfully short. Aang reached a small manhole and motioned for them all to stop as he opened it.

He pushed up on it put when it didn't move, he slammed up on it with his airbending and it popped out.

Aang leaped out and helped pull Sokka and Katara out as Eira jumped out after them.

Katara brushed herself off and inspected her clothing with a smile on her face.

"Hey, that wasn't as bad as I thought." She said and Eira was relieved to find that true. For once, her airbending was actually helpful outside of fighting.

Eira looked around and saw Sokka, almost completely covered in the sewage, and she groaned.

"Katara, you were supposed to help Sokka stay clean."

Katara shrugged, trying to hide her mischievous smile.

"Oops." She quickly waterbent a barrel of water at Sokka and the slime was completely thrown off him and Aang followed up by blasting him with a gust of air.

It was then revealed that he had three pink/purple octopus-like things on his face.

"Uh, Sokka. You have some, uh…" Eira began, unsure of what to say so she just gave up and pointed to his cheeks.

His eyes twitched to see them and he completely freaked out. He tugged at them and screamed but they just wouldn't let go. He was causing a lot of noise and Eira looked around nervously.

Sokka continued to tug at the octopi and and yell but Aang suddenly tackled him, stopping him from yelling.

"Shh! Stop making so much noise." Aang whispered in a somewhat cheerful tone. "It's just a purple pentapus."

Eira laughed slightly as Sokka looked in fear at the creatures as Aang reached out to tickle one on the head. It quickly released itself from Sokka's face and it left a pentagon shaped mass of sucker marks.

Sokka quickly got rid of the other two pentapai and they also left the same marks and Sokka rubbed them in irritation.

"Well, we best be going now." Eira muttered and they all nodded.

As they were about to turn around and walk off, several Fire Nation guards walked up to them and Aang quickly ducked behind them to try and cover his tattoo as Eira, Sokka and Katara made a human wall.

"Hey! What are you kids doing out past curfew?" One guard asked and Katara cast a nervous glance at Eira before answering.

"Sorry. We were just on our way home." Katara excused and they began to walk off, Eira seeing that Aang had wrapped some fabric around his head to cover his head tattoo.

They walked quickly and were about to leave the guards' lines of sight.

"Wait!" They all stopped in their tracks and turned around to face the guards again. "What's wrong with him?" The guard asked, thankfully pointing to Sokka instead of Aang.

Eira looked at the red sucker marks from the pentapai on Sokka's face and neck and an idea sparked in her mind.

"He has pentapox, sir. We were just taking him out for his final breath of fresh air." Eira said, pretending to get choked up. "Pentapox is incredibly contagious… and, and fatal… He hasn't got a lot of time left… We're getting him back inside so he doesn't infect anyone else." Eira explained, lying smoothly and Sokka caught on quickly.

His face began to droop as if he had lost all feeling in it and he began to cough and splutter.

"Oh, it's so awful. I'm dying." He said, his acting still awful as he was over-exaggerating his _illness_ but the guards seemed to buy it.

The guard next to the one in the middle looked nervously as he stared at Sokka's _dying_ face.

"Hey, I think I heard of pentapox! Didn't your cousin Chang die of it?" He asked, obviously terrified. _Thanks for the power of suggestion!_ Eira thought gratefully.

"We'd better go wash our hands, and burn our clothes!" The other guard said urgently as they all began to run away in fear.

Aang smiled and looked down at the pentapus in his hand.

"Thank you, sewer friend." He said, rubbing the head of the pentapus as he talked.

"Come on, let's find Bumi." Eira said quickly, looking up at the large pyramid shape of the city. It was going to take a long time to find him, and it was already dark considering how it was evening when they first saw Omashu.

They began to sneak around, running up the various construction projects and hiding behind a pile of metal girders.

"Let's try and find him quickly and just get out of here." Katara muttered, looking around for a place that could hold Bumi.

"Where are they keeping him?" Sokka asked.

"Somewhere he couldn't earthbend." Eira said. "Somewhere metal and probably suspended in the air."

Eira jumped over the pile and they all began to walk further up the city.

Bumi would most likely be inside somewhere but it never hurt to check. Eira looked up and she saw a small group of shadows rustling and when she looked down, she saw a group of people below it.

Eira stared at the group of people and noticed that they were all Fire Nation with a posh-looking man and woman holding a toddler and next to them was a teenage girl with sharp looking features and long black hair in buns. Wait… was that, Mai?

_It's Mai! That… means. Oh crap! Azula was coming soon._ Eira thought, panicking. Why didn't she remember this episode? If Azula was going to get involved, it was best to know what to do fifty steps ahead.

Then as she stared at Mai and, presumably, her family she saw movement in the corner of her vision.

Eira turned her head quickly and saw a giant boulder rolling down, ready to crush the Fire Nation family below. She and Aang both reacted immediately, sending blasts of air at it and sending it off course, protecting them.

It crashed into a pile of construction equipment and the Fire Nation people all looked up, clearly alarmed and as Eira looked down at them with Aang, she saw Mai squinting her eyes at them.

"The resistance!" The man cried, pointing up at them,

Mai looked up at them with a surprising hint of a smile, or it could've just been a trick of the light, and spread her arms out, causing dozens of little arrows at them and Eira and Aang quickly jumped out of the way and Eira was incredulous.

She kept _arrows_ in her sleeves… FREAKING ARROWS!

The arrows in question embedded themselves into the construction equipment behind them and, without waiting to see what happened next, Eira, Aang, Sokka and Katara quickly ran away as they saw two Fire Nation soldiers run up to them.

As they ran, Katara quickly twirled around and waterbent a whip of water into the soldiers and sent them flying down the stairs.

Mai began to run up to Katara and threw some more arrows at them but Eira quickly sent a slash of air at it, knocking them away from Katara as they ran.

Katara created a large wall of ice but Mai simply jumped over it. As Katara and Eira ran over to Aang, he let them pass as he stared down Mai but as Katara ran past, Eira stopped to see if she could help.

With a sweeping movement, Aang sent the scaffolding down and as it began to collapse a throwing knife glinted in the light as it was thrown towards them and Aang instinctively held up his staff and saw the knife stuck in it.

He looked at it, confused, but Eira looked up as Mai stood on the side of the pile of collapsed scaffolding, readying her next attack.

As she was about to throw more knives or arrows at them, Eira swung her glider around in her direction to knock her off with airbending but then the floor collapsed under her, causing some unwanted memories of General Fong's base, but this time she quickly saw some more light as they were all dumped onto the floor of some sort of underground cave or something.

Eira lifted her head as she looked around at where they were and she saw a damp, green-lit room with the green sewage occasionally dripping from the ceiling.

The room wasn't very well built so Eira guessed that it was just put together at the last second by some earthbenders just wanting a way to get out of Omashu and not a proper base they'd be staying in.

Eira looked around and saw Aang and Sokka rubbing their heads in pain and Katara looked incredibly disoriented. Eira's knees were hurting a lot seeing as she landed on them so when she tried to get up, she found it incredibly difficult.

A middle-aged man was staring at the group, flanked by two men. He had a large dark beard and a stern face. He wore one of those weird Earth Kingdom helmets that was basically a large dish over his head and he was also wearing a typical green Earth Kingdom soldier uniform.

As Eira straightened up, trying to ignore the stiffness of her knees and the exhaustion of running away from Mai, she looked around and saw a large group of Earth Kingdom citizens gathered together below them and Eira appeared to be next to the mouth of a large cave.

"So… who are you people?" Eira asked unsurely, looking around. "And, where are we?"

The man in front of them narrowed his eyes.

"My name is Yung, and we are the resistance. And you are in our secret base." He explained.

Aang, Sokka and Katara slowly staggered up to their feet and they looked around curiously.

"So, is King Bumi with you guys? Is he leading the resistance?" Aang asked excitedly. Yung looked away, angrily clenching his fists.

"Of course not!" He hissed through gritted teeth. "The day of the invasion, we readied ourselves for battle. We were prepared to fight for our lives, for our freedom. But before we even had a chance, King Bumi surrendered."

Aang looked dismayed at the news and incredulous. It was obvious he never imagined Bumi ever surrendering and Katara and Eira looked concerned at Aang.

"The day of the invasion, I asked King Bumi what he wanted to do. He looked me in the eye and said: I'm going to do…nothing." Yung said with distaste. "It doesn't even matter now." He admitted as Aang lowered his gaze, obviously disappointed.

"Fighting the Fire Nation is the only path to freedom. And freedom is worth dying for."

"But, there are many things worth living for. If you retreat now, you can live another day." Eira said. It was a common thing she ran into.

She heard so many people talking about all of the things worth dying for, but they never thought about the things worth living for.

"You don't understand. They've taken our home, and we have to fight them at any cost!" Yung persisted, making some quite violent hand gestures to the point where Eira had to step back a bit to avoid being hit by them.

"But you're outnumbered. You can't win. Now's the time to retreat, so you can live to fight another day." Aang said, motioning to the tunnel entrance as if to symbolise leaving.

The two men looked at Yung unsurely.

"Living to fight another day is startin' to sound pretty good to me."

"Yeah, Yung. I've got a wife and kid, I don't wanna die, I'm with the kid."

Yung looked around hopelessly at the refugees gathered below them and he turned back to Aang..

"Fine." He said in defeat. "But there's thousands of citizens that need to leave. How're we going to get them _all_ out?" He asked firmly.

Sokka rested his chin on his hand and he looked like he was thinking of a plan and, knowing Sokka, it was either the way out or something ridiculous… or both.

"Suckers!" He announced and everyone's faces fell, except for Eira. Katara raised an eyebrow at her brother but Eira realised what he meant. He was talking about pentapox!

"I get it." Eira said. "Pentapox. If we can trick the Fire Nation into believing you're all fatally ill and contagious, they'll just let you all leave."

There were murmurs of agreement through the crowd and as Sokka and Aang took a small group to collect the pentapai, Eira was organising them all into lines so when the barrels came, they could all queue in front of them and get pentapox in an orderly fashion.

The boys came back with five barrels full of pentapai and after a quick demonstration of how to remove the pentapai, everyone got to work on making themselves look sick, including Eira and she had to admit, despite how useful it was and how necessary it was, it felt awful.

The pentapai were slimy and where they left the sucker marks, your skin was left sore and itchy. Thankfully, Eira didn't need to apply many of the marks as she didn't have a lot of exposed skin due to her headscarf and sleeves, but it still wasn't a pleasant experience.

They all moved out to the city and began to explain the plan and help the other citizens and after an hour or so they were all done and Sokka was addressing them all.

"Okay, the marks make ya look sick, but you've gotta really sell it! You've got to act sick too." He explained and Eira rolled her eyes. _I'm not sure we should be getting acting lessons from you._ She thought, crossing her arms.

As he was about to explain how to act sick, an old man hobbled across the area, groaning and moaning in pain and coughing as he did. He clutched his back as he leaned heavily of his cane and his face was twisted into an expression of "I-don't-have-much-time-left on-this-earth".

Sokka grabbed the man next to him and pointed happily at the old man.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" He said cheerfully. The old man turned his head and smiled at them, tapping on his wooden cane on his wooden leg.

"Many years of practice." He explained, walking back into the crowd.

Sokka looked around at the crowd and gestured urgently with his hands.

"Okay everyone! Into sick formation." He instructed and as the crowd began to hobble towards the Omashu gates. Eira began to act along with them and walk slowly towards the gates but she saw Katara and Aang hanging back.

"Hey, aren't you joining them?" Eira asked curiously.

Katara looked at Aang expectantly.

"I was asking the same thing." She said but Aang shook his head and turned around to face the main building.

"No. I'm not leaving until I find Bumi." He said solemnly.

Momo jumped up on Aang's shoulders and nipped at him, chittering but Aang picked him up and dropped him back onto the floor.

"Sorry Momo, I'll feed you later." He explained impatiently, then using his airbending to propel himself up into the air and jumping across the roofs until he was out of sight.

Eira was staring for a while until she felt Katara tap her shoulder.

"We should be going." She said and they both quickly re-joined the crowd, coughing and stumbling along with the others. As Eira pretended to be sick, overacting with the rest of them, she tried to refrain from rolling her eyes.

In her world, this type of acting would result in people thinking you were crazy or a flash mob but here… they believed it! Eira didn't know how they did, but the soldiers believed it.

"Plague! Plague!" A soldier yelled and as the group of "sick" shuffled forwards, the soldiers began to run away in fear, trying to get away from them and as they ran, one began to bang on a gong and call an alert.

Eira stole a glance at a balcony and saw Mai and her family looking down in horror at the crowd. Even from far away, Eira could see their little toddler crawling around on the floor and moving away from them. Seriously, one practically emotionless daughter and one wondering son. They were really bad parents.

In front of them, the gates began to open and they all began to walk past and out of Omashu. Eira was almost dumbfounded with the Fire Nation's stupidity but, hey, when life gives you lemons you don't complain… especially if their stupid lemons.

They walked across the narrow pathway and down into the forests, out of the view of the Fire Nation soldiers and they all began to gather in a clearing.

Eira saw Yung apparently counting people but when she looked back, she saw the toddler. _Oh it's that toddler._ Eira thought casually, then it clicked in her head. _WHY IS HE HERE? ARE HIS PARENTS THAT BAD TO LET HIM WANDER OFF INTO A CROWD OF "DISEASED" PEOPLE?!_

Eira ran up to him and she saw Katara and Sokka see her and run over as well.

"Eira, what's going o- What is that!?" Sokka asked, raising his voice unnecessarily at the end.

"I-I think he's the son of the Fire Nation family now running Omashu." Eira stuttered.

"But… why is he here?" Katara asked, picking him up. Eira couldn't understand how she could just… pick him up like that. Toddlers were Eira's kryptonite. If you gave her a baby to hold, Eira felt like she was going to drop it or somehow manage to break something.

"I think he…uh, followed us or something." Eira suggested unsurely. She saw Momo walk curiously up to them but when he saw the child, he squawked in fear and ran away. "Momo seems pretty distressed. Maybe he followed Momo."

Sokka was looking at the toddler in Katara's arms with absolute fear, confusion and annoyance. As Katara was looking at him like he was the cutest thing in the world. She was definitely and baby-person, unlike her brother and Eira.

"Aww, aren't you an adorable thing." She cooed, tickling his belly as she did.

"No, it isn't! It's, it's, Fire Nation!" Sokka said, struggling to articulate his thoughts. Eira raised her hands defensively and took a step back.

"It should be fine. As long as they don't come looking for him… and you keep him _faaar_ away from me."

Yung walked up behind the group and they all jumped as he started to speak.

"What's going on he-" He said and then as Katara turned around he saw the toddler.

"Why is the child of Ukano here?!" He asked angrily.

"Ukano? Who's that?" Eira asked, trying to avoid his question.

"He's the man who is now in charge of Omashu, now answer my question!" Yung answered impatiently. _Oh, so that's Mai's father's name._

Eira rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Uh, we think he followed our flying lemur." Eira said, gesturing to Momo.

"What should we do?" Katara said but before Yung answered they saw Aang walking with… a big weird white animal with big floppy rabbit ears, a dark face with horns and giant tusks. Its arms were like a gorilla but its back legs were goat legs. Was that…Flopsie?

But while Flopsie was an odd sight, Aang was what caught Eira's attention. He looked sad as he trudged into the clearing and he looked so disappointed.

"Aang, what's wrong?" Eira asked.

"We looked all around Omashu. We didn't find Bumi." He explained.

"Really, we managed to find someone." Sokka said, a fake-joy tone added to his voice as he pointed to the toddler. Aang's face lit up but then it became confused.

"Who's that?" He asked curiously.

"This is the son of the Fire Nation governor." Eira explained. "So far, I don't think we know what to do with him." She admitted sadly.

Yung sighed in annoyance.

"We don't have time for this. We need to set up camp, it's getting dark." He turned around and started calling out orders to the refugees.

o.O.o

They were all sitting around a campfire in the dark and Katara was enjoying looking after the baby… Sokka not so much. When… uh, Tom or something, tried to take Sokka's boomerang and suck on it, Sokka instantly snatched it away and scowled at him.

"No! Bad evil Fire Nation baby." Tom looked up at Sokka and began to cry. A baby's cry was awful to listen too. They were whiny and screechy and awful. Eira was definitely never going to have kids.

Katara glared at Sokka and hit him across the face before placing her hands on her hips, looking incredibly motherly.

Sokka tried to stare her down but he gave up, unable to manage it.

"Oh…all right." He muttered, defeated as he handed it back to Tom. He immediately stopped crying and began to play with it again.

Katara got down from her seat and hugged Tom affectionately.

"Oooh, you're just so cute." Katara cooed, absolutely taken with Tom.

Yung stared angrily at Tom from the other side of the fireplace.

"He may be cute now, but when he's older, he'll be enlisted in the Fire Nation army." Yung turned his gaze away and stared into the darkness. "You won't think he's so cute when he's trying to kill you."

Katara was completely unfazed, she just stared at Tom and picked him up, happily playing with him and showed him to Yung.

"Does this look like the face of a killer to you?" She asked innocently but Yung's face remained completely indifferent at the sight of the cute baby. He'd probably seen too many of the killers he said Tom would grow up into.

There was silence for a while but then the screech of a bird interrupted it. Everyone turned their head and they saw a hawk with bright red plumage and a small cylinder was attached to its back.

Eira got up slowly and walked over to it, expecting it to go and peck her but instead, it calmly presented the cylinder to her. Eira gingerly picked it up and opened it. A small scroll slid out and Eira carefully read it.

"It's from the Fire Nation governor." She announced. "He says that he wants to make a trade for his son. He thinks we kidnapped him. He's offering… King Bumi!"

Aang immediately jumped up in excitement.

"Bumi!" He exclaimed. "This is perfect! We can just drop off their son and we'll get Bumi back!" Sokka and Eira exchanged nervous glances. It was them. It was never as simple as it should be, especially if it involved Azula's friends.

"It says the exchange will be at sunrise… so I guess we should get some sleep before then and make sure that he doesn't crawl away or something." Eira suggested, looking up at the high moon. _Why can't I remember this bloody episode!?_ Eira thought angrily, silently scolding herself and her memory. _ If we run into Azula unknowingly, or I manage to screw everything up I'd never forgive myself._

o.O.o

The next morning, Aang woke them all up, impossibly excited to see his old friend again and return someone's child to them… even if the parents weren't exactly the best.

As they walked up the dirt path, the sun gleaming behind the mountains and against the fluffy clouds, Eira had never felt so worried.

"This is almost defiantly a trap." Eira commented as they walked. She looked over at Aang, who was holding Tom next to his chest as he slept. He looked so peaceful.

"I don't think so." Aang said, looking down at the sleeping toddler. "I'm sure the governor wants his son back as much as we want Bumi. It's a new day, I have a good feeling about this."

"Maybe, but if I know the Fire Nation, they'll probably take his son back, then arrest us or something without returning Bumi." She replied bitterly. _That's probably what will happen if I know our luck._

As they walked past the beautiful forest, they were greeted with the sight of the still smoking city. Soot was now starting to cover large areas of the city and Eira saw that the scaffolding they almost destroyed the other day was holding a large stone statue of the Fire Lord.

_Very tasteful_. She thought sarcastically. She never understood why people loved to build statues of themselves. She'd have to hate a statue of her.

They walked up to the scaffolding and looked around to see Mai and two other girls. They looked around Eira's age and she narrowed her eyes suspiciously at them. Azula and Ty Lee.

Like everyone she'd met so far, they looked weird in real life. Ty Lee was very cute with a slim gymnast figure and impossibly big, innocent grey eyes. Her long brown hair was in a high plait and she wore a pink outfit that exposed her navel.

Azula looked terrifying. Her eyes were a dull gold and surprisingly cold for a supposedly warm colour. She wore a lot of lipstick and what looked like an expensive Fire Nation outfit. Her black hair was tied up in a top-knot and despite the fact she was off to the side of Mai, she looked like she was the one in charge.

Eira kept an eye on Azula as Aang and the others stared up at Mai and the large metal box being lowered down with the mad King, happily inside. He looked a bit _too_ happy considering the fact that his entire body was in a metal crate, with the exception of his face. Then again, he was mad.

Aang smiled as he saw Bumi and as the metal box landed behind the trio of girls, Mai looked back at Aang.

"You brought my brother?" She asked and Eira fought to not roll her eyes. _No, this is just some random Fire Nation 2 year old we found._ She thought sarcastically.

"He's here. We're ready to trade." Aang responded confidently, looking behind Mai and at Bumi.

As Mai began to move, she was stopped by Azula, who decided to add her opinion, which could only be _helpful_ for them.

"I'm sorry, but a thought just occurred to me." She mused, looking up at Bumi then back at Mai. "Do you mind?" She asked, despite the fact her tone made it clear she was going to speak no matter what. It was a typical spoilt rich child thing that Eira had run into before.

Mai turned to Azula and bowed her head slightly in approval.

"Of course not, Princess Azula." Mai said respectfully.

"We're trading a two year old for a king." Azula looked up at King Bumi, who was still chuckling madly. "A powerful, earthbending king?"

Then, annoyingly, Bumi actually nodded in agreement. _What is he doing?_ Eira thought incredulously. _We're about to peacefully get him out. Damn it! I wish I remembered the episode._

"It doesn't seem like a fair trade, does it?" Azula said, her voice cold and ruthless.

Mai's grey eyes shifted to Azula, then to her brother. Her face didn't reveal any emotion but her body language certainly did. She was debating whether or not to obey Azula and whether or not to get her brother back.

Sadly, she chose the "obey Azula" option. Crud.

"You're right." Mai said, stepping forwards. "The deal's off." She announced, gesturing to the soldiers to pull King Bumi back up, still chuckling and snorting.

"But this is your brother!" Eira exclaimed, thoroughly puzzled. "It's a simple trade. You're brother for our friend."

"But your _friend_ is a powerful earthbender." Azula said, smiling slyly. "He's just a child." _How is Mai going along with this?_

Aang looked up at Bumi as he was being pulled up and tightened his grip on his staff.

He pushed Tom into Eira's hands without consulting her and jumped up to Bumi, using his airbending for extra lift.

Azula tried to stop him and sent a jet of azure-coloured flames at him and Eira quickly jumped to the side to avoid them as they missed.

Aang leaped off some scaffolding and clicked open his glider, but as he did, the fabric covering his head tattoo was pushed off and his bald head and electric blue arrow shone clearly.

Eira would've face palmed if she wasn't holding a toddler in her arms and on that note, SHE COULDN'T HOLD A BABY! WHAT WAS AANG THINKING?!

Azula gasped as she looked at Aang.

"The Avatar!" She said in surprise as Aang circled around on his glider as he flew up to Bumi. Then she smiled cruelly. "My lucky day."

Azula ran over to a rope pulley and as she held onto one side of the rope, she burnt off the other, sending her and the rope flying up into the air as the winch span rapidly.

Eira wanted to run forward and stop her but the squirming infant in her arms prevented her. _I'm going to drop him, oh my gosh, I'm going to drop him!_ Eira thought in a panic.

"Guys! We have to get the baby out of here!" Eira yelled. _And out of my arms!_

Eira backed up slightly as Mai and Ty Lee took offensive positions, Mai grabbing her throwing knifes and Ty Lee assuming a gymnast-like pose.

Katara and Sokka took defensive positions in front of Eira, then Sokka apparently had an idea and pulled out the bison whistle and blew on it.

"Way ahead of ya!" He said as he ran towards the edge of the platform and Eira and Katara followed his lead.

Eira looked back slightly and saw that Ty Lee was missing and as she thought on that, she barely had time to notice the fist punching out of the wooden planks of the platform.

Eira tried to jump over it but she accidently stamped her big feet on it and began to trip.

She tried to regain her balance as she clutched Tom in her arms, desperately trying to stop him from flying out and thankfully she stopped wobbling just before she fell off the platform.

Eira turned around quickly, trying not to crush Tom as she held onto him and her arms stiffened in fear because now Ty Lee jumped out of the hole she made and began to charge towards Eira.

Eira tried to run out of her way as Katara began to bend water at Ty Lee but as Mai began to move, she created a wall of ice to block the four knives being thrown at her.

Sokka began to run towards Ty Lee to fight her as Eira looked around for Appa, feeling absolutely helpless and her bending mainly needed a lot of movement and she couldn't really do that with a toddler in her arms.

Sokka slashed at Ty Lee with his club as Katara used her water whip to dislodge a wooden plank and threw it up in the air to block the knives and she then continued to whip it towards Mai.

Ty Lee managed to get away from Sokka and she was now heading towards Eira and the baby.

Panicking, Eira dropped as she lashed her leg out in a circle, creating a slash of air and causing Ty Lee to trip up or in her case, go from walking on her legs to walking on her hands, seriously, she was insane.

Ty Lee flipped back onto her feet and Eira jumped up, using her airbending to go ten or so feet in the air and manage to land back next to Katara and Sokka who were trying to stop Mai from constantly trying to stab them with her throwing knives.

Ty Lee turned around and ran over to Eira again so she had to get away again. It was _really_ hard to avoid being hit by an expert gymnast and chi blocker and trying to hold a toddler at the same time. Again, WHY DID AANG GIVE HIM TO HER?!

Eira ducked another blow and as her eyes darted around to see a ladder going down to the ground, perfect. Eira faked that she was going in the opposite direction to the ladder and as Ty Lee followed her direction, Eira jumped over her head and fell down the ladder and used her airbending to soften the landing.

Eira looked around for Appa again, feeling the soft footsteps of Ty Lee quickly running above her and then as she looked out at Omashu, she saw a pink flash and she was sent flying backwards.

Tom began to cry in Eira's arms but she didn't have the time to deal with it as Ty Lee was now jabbing her fists at her and it was becoming increasingly hard to dodge them as Eira was becoming incredibly tired.

"You could've of just given us back our friend, then we wouldn't have to do all of this." Eira muttered in annoyance as she jumped back to the edge of the wooden platform.

Ty Lee flashed a wide, innocent smile.

"But he was a reaaaaaaally powerful earthbender." She said, stopping for a second. Eira slowly backed up until she was almost teetering off the edge.

"And this is your friend's baby brother." Eira stated, trying to add a cruel smile to make her bluff more believable. "I could easily just jump off right now. Mai would never see her brother again." _I really hope she buys it but I'm not sure if I'm being very believable right now._

If Eira _did_ jump, there is the possibility that she could use her airbending to make her landing non-lethal or open her glider that was strapped to her back. But she had no idea how Tom would fare in that. Toddlers were fragile.

Ty Lee seemed to be hesitant and Eira took her chance, she sprinted back across the platform and jumped off, managing to get a couple of extra feet out of her jump and she landed on another piece of scaffolding. _For once, I thank you airbending._ Eira thought, breathing heavily.

She heard a bellow and Appa was flying towards them. Eira smiled gratefully.

"Sokka! Katara! Appa's here!" She yelled as she leaped onto Appa's saddle and then Sokka and Katara did the same, leaving Mai and Ty Lee confused on the platforms.

Eira thankfully let Tom down on the saddle and she stretched out her arms as she looked around for Aang.

"There's Aang!" Katara said, pointing to the chutes and as Eira looked she saw Azula skidding down the delivery system, closely following Aang who was riding on Bumi's metal box.

"We can catch him!" Sokka said, walking across to the reigns and directing Appa towards Aang.

Azula was constantly sending jets of blue flames at Aang and as Appa pulled up next to them Eira heard Aang yell reassuringly to Bumi.

"Hang on, Bumi! Our ride's here!"

As Azula saw them, she sent a stream of blue flame at them so Appa had to swerve to avoid it but as he pulled closer to Aang and Bumi again, Aang used his staff to send the box, Bumi and himself flying up into the air above Appa but as Sokka, Katara and Eira tried to catch it, it sailed above their heads.

Aang and Bumi screamed as they fell and as Eira held onto the edge of the saddle and looked overboard in panic, she was relieved when she saw Aang moving the box into a horizontal position mid-air and their fall was broken as they landed on another chute and as Azula jumped across to it and sent a spiral of fire at them, Bumi earthbent a large block, protecting them.

Azula jumped up, noticing her path was blocked and as she had to stop, she looked incredible displeased, letting Aang and Bumi get away.

Eira looked over at Azula and by the venomous look she was giving them, Aang and Bumi, Eira was glad that Aang put her in a position where she couldn't follow Azula because, knowing Eira's luck and her personality she'd get a shot of lightning in the face.

Then again, being shot at with throwing knives and being punched, kicked and chased _while_ having to hold a crying toddler wasn't much better.

Appa began to fly down to where Aang and Bumi landed but when they landed, Bumi was gone and shooting up the delivery system.

"Ooookay." Eira said blankly as she listened to Bumi's mad laughs as he moved even further away. "I guess Bumi won't be teaching you, then." She said. _So that's why he didn't learn from Bumi._

Aang nodded sadly.

"Now I have to find a new teacher." He concluded. "Bumi said I need to find a teacher that listens to the earth, and that's probably going to take a long time." He sighed heavily.

Eira turned around to see Tom starting to crawl around as Katara played with him and he giggled happily..

"We should get him home. I bet his parents are getting worried when their daughter didn't get back with him." Katara said, concerned.

Aang nodded and jumped up onto Appa, taking the reins away from Sokka and directing Appa to fly up to the balcony of the main building.

Aang gently took Tom from the saddle and jumped up on the roof before dropping down and placing Tom on the floor to crawl back to his parents.

"Tom-Tom!" Eira heard his mother cry out and then Eira finally remembered. His name was Tom-Tom. Now Eira felt like an idiot.

* * *

**I'm sorry that I didn't include Eira pissing off Azula but in the context of the episode I couldn't fit it in properly. I also thought that it would be funnier if I just gave Eira Tom-Tom. (Children are her kryponite and they are mine as well)**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter and please review.**


	4. Chapter 4-The Swamp

**Okay, okay. I know this took ages but I have some reasons. I have had some exams this week and this was a _reallllllly_ hard chapter to write because, like Eira as you'll find out, I hadn't watched this episode in absolutely forever. I don't know why but the first five episodes of season 2 never stuck in my memory all that well, of course the last couple of episodes in season 2 or my absolute favourites but I digress. **

**Also, I know the title is the same as the episode and I try and avoid that but... I honestly couldn't think of anything else.**

**Enough rambling from me and I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

**Please review and tell me what you think! :D**

* * *

Chapter 4: The Swamp

* * *

Eira was simply staring out into space and thinking about old songs that she used to like and thinking about how if she didn't go home soon they'd probably disappear from her mind. It was a weird thing to think about but it was where Eira's mind managed to wonder.

As Eira was staring at the clouds, she saw them begin to fly up and as she looked around she saw that the clouds weren't flying up, they were going down.

"Aang?" She said but Aang didn't respond. "Aang! Why are you taking us down?" She asked.

He suddenly looked around as if he'd been taken out of a trance.

"Wait, what? I didn't even notice." He said, looking at the slowly nearing ground.

Sokka gestured at the forest below them.

"Are you noticing now?" He asked. Katara moved over to the front of the saddle to talk to Aang better and Eira couldn't help but think. _Hey, how about you stop Appa from flying down, Aang?_

"Is something wrong?" Katara asked, the concern showing in her voice but Aang still seemed dazed for some reason.

"No, but… I know this is going to sound weird, but I think the swamp is calling to me." He muttered.

"Is it telling you where we can get something to eat?" Sokka asked, holding his stomach and received a well-deserved elbow in the gut from Eira.

"Can you think of anything else put your stomach?" Eira asked incredulously. "This is obviously some Avatar-y thing."

"Yeah… I-I think it wants us to land there." He said airily.

Sokka shrugged and looked overboard.

"No offense to the swamp, but I don't see any land to land on."

Aang looked puzzled at the swamp as they were still slowly descending.

"I don't know, Sokka. Bumi said to learn earthbending I would have to wait and listen, and now I'm actually hearing the earth. Do you want me to ignore it?" Aang asked, turning back to look at them.

Eira looked down at the swamp. From above it looked like a forest but she absolutely _hated_ the idea of trudging through a swamp.

She barely remembered the swamp episode because she just didn't enjoy watching them all spend time in the swamp with the weird waterbenders and the creepiness of it all.

Everyone looked over the side of Appa's saddle, following Eira's example and Sokka plainly said what they were all thinking.

"Yes. Ignore it." Even Katara was looking disgusted at the swamp and she was the one who was always going on about how Aang was the Avatar and needed to follow his spiritual Avatar-y things.

"There's something ominous about that place." She admitted.

"As much as it's probably an Avatar-y thing, I can't imagine how trudging through a swamp can help us find you an earthbending teacher." Eira said gently, secretly hoping they didn't need to go in there.

It may sound weird considering all of the weird crap she'd already been through, but she didn't want to go through a swamp listening to the creepy birds screeching and the constant bugs trying to bite your skin. It was awful to think about and it made her skin crawl.

Momo and Appa seemed to share her feelings as Momo hid under a pile of bags and Appa groaned in protest.

"See, even Appa and Momo don't like it here. We should leave." Sokka insisted. Aang sighed in reassignment.

"Okay, since everyone feels so strongly about this." He looked down at the swamp and waved. "Bye swamp." He tugged Appa's reigns away from the swamp. "Appa, yip, yip!"

Appa bellowed and flew upwards, away from the ground but as Eira was beginning to feel relieved she felt a shiver down the back of her neck and as she turned around all of the blood turned to ice.

Right behind them was a giant swirling tornado. How does that happen!? Eira didn't get it, how did this happen? Tornadoes don't just appear out of thin air.

"Aang, get us out of here!" Eira yelled and everyone was incredibly panicked.

Aang looked back and his eyes widened in fear. He flicked the reigns and Appa began to fly even faster away, attempting to avoid the tornado but he clearly wasn't fast enough as the wind was now grabbing at them, pulling them into it.

Sokka was being pulled off in the wind and he began to fly backwards, off the saddle.

Eira was terrified as she was being looked back at Sokka and she grabbed onto the saddle, trying to reach for Sokka's hand as Katara did the same but just as he was going to fly away Aang jumped up to form a sphere of air around them, causing them to be unaffected for a couple of seconds, letting Sokka fall back onto the saddle but then he looked at Eira expectantly.

"Eira! Help me try and keep this up!" He shouted, trying to be heard over the wind and Eira was becoming even more scared. She had never done anything like that, she wasn't even sure that she could it.

Eira nervously tried to copy Aang's motions and she felt something responding but it definitely wasn't enough. The strong wind of the tornado ripped apart the sphere and Appa was sucked into the tornado and as something snagged Appa's legs sending them spiralling down.

Eira, who was partially stood up, was thrown off Appa and into the wind as her grip on the saddle failed. Eira screamed as she felt herself flying through the air, unable to hear or see the others as the wind stung her eyes and bombarded her ears.

As Eira felt the wind ease she managed to squint her eyes open and she screamed as she saw the ground coming up closer to her. Fast!

Eira thrust her hands forwards, towards the ground and a large jet of air blasted out from her hands and as she was five feet from the ground, her falling slowed and she gently landed on the ground in the murky swamp water.

Eira breathed heavily as her voice recovered from the screaming and as her heart rate began to slow, she lifted her head and looked around. She was in a dark, humid, green area with lots of vines, roots and trees. The ground was covered in dirty water and if Eira listened closely, she could hear a vast array of birds and bugs… yay…

Eira stood up straight and looked around for Katara, Aang and Sokka. They probably landed near her as they must've fallen off almost right after her.

Eira heard several splashes to her left and she quickly ran over to it and as she cleared some vines out of her way, she saw Katara and Sokka getting up some the water, covered in mud and Aang standing and looking around.

"Aang! Katara! Sokka! There you are." Eira called as she walked over a log and over to them but then she saw something was off.

"Where are Appa and Momo?" Eira asked, looking around in confusement. "Didn't they land with you guys?" _If only I had watched this episode recently_. Eira thought, mentally scolding herself.

Aang also looked around for Appa and Momo and he was clearly surprised that they weren't with them.

"What? I thought they were here." Aang exclaimed, jumping up in the trees for a better look around.

"Appa! Momo!" He yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth and as he jumped around, Eira turned her attention back to Katara and Sokka.

"So how are you gu-AHHH!" Eira began, but her speech turned into a strangled gasp as she saw Sokka. There was a giant black slimy… thing attached to his elbow. Sokka began to flail around as Eira pointed at it.

"Sokka, there's something on your elbow." Eira said and after some more frantic flailing, he ripped it off and threw it away, behind Katara.

"Why do this keep on attaching to me!?" He cried angrily.

"We should leave here as soon as possible." Eira stated, crossing her arms as she looked around. _I don't think I could stay here overnight. It's far too disgusting and creepy_. Eira thought, choosing to not say them aloud as she feared it would come across as whining.

It really was a horrible place, though.

Aang came swinging back from the trees and landed in the middle of the trio. He looked sad so they could only assume he didn't find them.

"You couldn't find Appa or Momo?" Katara asked disappointedly.

Aang shook his head,

"No, and the tornado… it just disappeared." He explained, his voice mystified and they all shared the feeling. How could a tornado just go and disappear so suddenly. That wasn't how weather worked.

They all turned to face the differing directions of darkness in the swamp and they didn't want to admit it, but it felt hopeless. How were they going to find them?

"Soooo… Where should we start? Do you know where they could've landed, roughly what direction they landed in?" Eira asked. "I fell off first so I have absolutely no idea." She admitted shamefully. It was annoying that she was knocked off so easily.

Sokka looked around but he settle on pointing to the left of them.

"I think they went off in that direction. Don't worry guys, Appa's a big thing, there's no way we won't be able to find him." Sokka said reassuringly as he marched off in the direction he was pointing at.

Having no better ideas, they all followed him but after a while, all of the vines were getting clumped together and tangled, making it really hard to get past them.

After several attempts to get past a certain section of the swamp, Sokka just resigned to pulling out his machete and slashing at the vines, leaving them to fall to the ground and leaving a clean, straight line where they were cut.

"We'd better speed things up." He mumbled, continuing to slash at the vines but for some reason every slash made Eira feel uneasy and as she looked at Aang, she saw that he was almost wincing at every vine falling to the floor.

"Hey, Sokka. Maybe we should be a little nicer to the swamp." Aang suggested but his suggestion had no effect on Sokka.

"Aang, these are just plants. Do you want me to apologise or ask permission as I swing my machete back and forth?" Sokka asked sarcastically.

"Yeah, and the forest that Hei Bai almost destroyed a town over was just a forest as well." Eira grumbled. "I'm a newcomer to this world and even _I_ know that here acts against nature tend to get punished."

Sokka turned back and raised a sceptical eyebrow at Eira.

"You really think that sprits can really come over and attack us whenever they want? I thought you didn't believe in that stuff." He said, going back to swinging his machete.

Eira walked over to him and yanked the machete out of his hand forcefully.

"Well, seeing as the Fire Nation almost killed two spirits and destroyed waterbending and I've been taken to the spirit world by Hei Bai and kidnapped by two more spirits, I think that I have more than enough reason to think that spirits could do that." Eira said angrily. "I may not have had spirits or bending in my own world but I think I know enough about them to know that randomly hack at nature."

"Then if we don't want to wind up getting eaten by them, we need to find Appa as soon as possible." Sokka concluded unhelpfully, snatching his machete back and continuing to slash at them.

Eira cast a look at Katara for help but she didn't have any. They both knew that Sokka was stubborn and was never going to treat spirits seriously…

Wow. If Eira that complained about someone not taking spirits seriously back home, everyone would have thought she'd be insane. She never believed in superstitions, hell, she made thirteen her lucky number _just_ to spite people who thought it was unlucky.

As they moved deeper into the swamp, Eira had tried many times to move the vines out of the way to help Sokka avoid cutting them but it still wasn't having too much of an effect. They all waded through the ankle deep water and the fog was starting to get heavier and thicker, as was the atmosphere.

"Appa! Momo!" Katara yelled, trying to project her voice in all directions but it was useless. Eira couldn't see anything more than two metres away from her.

"It's pointless, Katara." Eira said quietly. "We can't see anything due to this fog and I doubt that Appa and Momo could hear us."

A fly buzzed around Eira's head and she swatted it. Sokka looked around and also seemed to reach the same conclusion but with a slightly different ending.

"Then we'll have to make camp for the night." He stated, swinging his machete around at the flies dangerously.

Eira glared at him.

"Sokka. Stop that." Then they all heard a pop and they all jumped in shock.

"What was that?" Katara asked nervously but Sokka waved it off.

"Nothing, just swamp gas." Sokka explained, motioning to the water. "Look, there's nothing supernatural going on here." Then they smelt it. It was an awful, putrid smell that made Eira's face crinkle in disgust.

She quickly wrapped her scarf around her nose to try and block the smell as the others groaned in complaint, Sokka waving his hand in front of his face to try and blow it away and Katara clamped a hand over her mouth and nose.

Then they all jumped into a group hug of sorts as a terrifying shriek interrupted them. _What the hell was that?_ Eira thought, looking around for the source, terrified and… it was a tiny white bird. _SINCE WHEN DID BIRDS SOUND LIKE THAT?!_ Eira thought before taking a breath to calm herself. She needed to stop getting so panicked.

"I-I think we should build a f-fire." Sokka said, sweating bullets and voice cracking. Sokka then ran off to a nearby tree and chopped up pieces of wood.

"Sokka, the longer we're here, the more I don't think you should be doing that." Aang protested.

"No, I asked the swamp. It said this was fine." Sokka said sarcastically, grabbing a nearby root that he cut off. "Right swamp?" He asked, then he shook the root and went into a falsetto. "No problem, Sokka!"

Sokka then continued to chop up the tree, completely ignoring the annoyed looks from Eira and Aang.

"So help me, Sokka, I'm going to take that machete or else." Eira mumbled angrily under her breath as Sokka collected the water in his arms and moved over to a more sheltered area of the swamp.

They all walked over to the area, which was thankfully dry and Sokka started to build the fire and, despite how Eira disagreed with it, she was grateful for the heat.

"Sokka, just to be safe, can you give me your machete? I don't think it's wise for you to have it in this place." Eira asked, holding out her hand expectantly.

Sokka rolled his eyes.

"Yeesh, Eira. It's going to be fine. There's no one here but us." He said in a patronising voice that Eira suspected was supposed to be reassuring.

Eira kept her hand out and stared Sokka down. She continued staring until he finally gave up. He slowly took his machete out and handed it to Eira resulting in a smile.

"Thank you."

Katara shivered and her eyes began to dart around.

"Do any of you feel like we're being watched?" She asked. Everyone else looked around and a cold breeze brushed past all of them.

"Yeah, I've been feeling it too." Aang said. Sokka rolled his eyes in disbelief.

"You guys are being ridiculous. We're all alone here." He began to swat at a fly around his head and it exploded into a burst of gold light. It flew off, still enveloped in bright light and as it flew past, it lit up dozens of mirror-like eyes.

"E-Except for them." Aang stuttered as they all began to huddle together in fear.

"Right." Sokka whispered, his calm demeanour gone. "Except for them."

He looked up at the dark night sky.

"M-Maybe we should get some sleep." He suggested, his voice shaky. Aang and Katara looked at him incredulously but then the tiredness seemed to sweep over them. The mumbled in agreement and lied down on the ground, closing their eyes and trying to ignore the creepy atmosphere as they went to sleep.

Eira, however, couldn't. She found it hard to sleep in such a creepy, humid place, especially with the eyes starting to fade back into the bushes. They were still watching them. Eira could feel it.

Eira watched the fire flickering and crackling in the darkness as everyone slowly drifted off to sleep. After a while the fire began to die down and Eira was starting to feel her eyes grow heavy. It was weird, she both felt tired and wide awake at the same time.

_I guess I'm just that determined to avoid sleeping here._ Eira thought, almost laughing at her own ridiculousness. Eira absent-mindedly twirled the machete in-between her fingers but then she saw some movement in the corner of her eye.

Eira's eyes opened fully and she saw that some vines were moving but before she could wake the others up the vines shot out at all of them, binding them all and then yanking them away from each other.

"Guys!" Eira screamed as she felt herself being pulled through the darkness, away from the campfire and the others.

Eira felt herself being thrown around at every bump of the ground because of the speed she was being pulled at and as the vines began to tighten around her, Eira began to struggle even more.

She felt the machete still in her hand and with one strong movement, she managed to slice the vines, freeing herself.

Eira scrambled away from the vines and got up as she tried to run away from the vines. She used her airbending to jump into the trees and, to her surprise, she saw that the vines weren't moving again.

Eira paused for a moment in confusion but she shook her head to clear her mind. She needed to focus. She didn't want to get lost in this swamp.

"Guys?!" Eira shouted, trying to make her voice heard but it almost felt that the trees and vines were blocking it. Eira jumped across to the trees and looked around wildly for her friends.

"Sokka! Katara! Aang!" She yelled but again she heard nothing back except for chirping of insects. _Dammit!_ _Where are you guys?_ Eira thought.

Eira walked across a damp branch but she suddenly hit a cloud of flies. Eira spat as she was sure some went in her mouth and as she tried to swat them away and get out of it, she slipped on the branch.

Eira inhaled sharply in fear as she flailed her arms for balance but ended up just falling hard to the ground.

She landed in the swamp water on her back and winced as the blow knocked the air from her lungs, forcing her to stay still for a few minutes to recover.

"_Cachu!_" Eira hissed. She got up slowly, her back aching from the fall. She looked down at her soaking, muddy clothes and scowling.

"Damn it…" She cursed. It felt itchy and uncomfortable. Just perfect. Great. Eira swirled her hands around to create a sphere of air and threw it at the ground, forcing the water and mud to fly off her.

"Aang! Sokka! Katara!" Eira yelled again. Seriously, how could they not hear her? "Where are you!"

Eira trudged through the swamp, noticing that a group of those screaming white birds were perching on several tree branches. _Why do those exist? Maybe they scare of predators or something._ Eira thought, her mind wandering off to try and distract from the creepiness, even though her thoughts were focussing on why the creepiness could exist.

The fauna and flora here were so diverse and strange. So different to Wales it felt unnatural to Eira. She definitely preferred the more wild, free green trees and bushes and ivy… Eira really missed it.

Eira walked in silence, trying to travel in the opposite direction that the vines pulled her in. Her mind wandered to thoughts of home and her family. She was ashamed to say that she hadn't been thinking of her family as much, with all of the _excitement_ of their travels.

But as she was thinking about her family, she started to hear crying. Eira's head perked up to try and hear it better, to make sure it was just her hallucinating, wait, could you hallucinate sounds? Or was that something else. It didn't matter! It wasn't real.

Eira walked further through the swamp and the crying began to become louder and clearer. _It's not real. It's not real. It's not real._ Eira thought, constantly repeating it in her head.

But… then she saw them… her family… and they were crying…

"M-Mum… D-Dad, Jenna?" Eira stuttered, her eyes wide in disbelief and she felt a tear run down her cheek. She hadn't realised that she was crying. Her family was here! They were here! But why were they crying? Eira didn't understand.

They were dressed in the same clothes they had been wearing when Eira had been taken away. Eira didn't have time to register that despite the fact they were in the swamp water they were all completely dry. All she could notice was the fact they were all hugging each other and crying. Their faces so full of despair and sadness Eira couldn't take it. It made her heart break just to look at them.

She just couldn't take it! Eira began to run towards them, she wanted to touch them, to make sure they were real. They had to be real! They needed to be real!

But… as Eira made her way to hug her mother. To try and stop her tears… she disappeared. She vanished into thin air. As she vanished before Eira's eyes, Eira cried out in shock.

"No! Mum!" Eira whipped around to see her father and sister quickly fading into the mist of the swamp. "Dad! Jenna!" Eira tried to stop them from disappearing but as she tried to reach out to them, they all completely faded… and Eira was left all alone again.

She couldn't handle it, Eira fell to the ground, ignoring the dirt and the coldness of the water. All she could feel was the ache in her heart and the wet tears streaming down her face.

"DAMN IT!" Eira shouted her voice full of angry frustration. Eira slammed a fist down into the water angrily. _Why did they do this to me? To show me them…and take them away like that. I just wanted to, to be with them again._

Eira didn't know how long she knelt there, crying in frustration but it was some time later when she managed to somewhat recover.

_Get yourself together Eira! _She scolded silently. _You need to find the others._ Snapping back into motion. She got up slowly and creakily, her knees stiff from kneeling for so long.

The others were probably waiting for her.

Eira quickly began to run away in the direction she was previously travelling in but then… she was interrupted again.

"_Mam, pam ydych chi'n yma?_" It was a little girl's voice but, it was in welsh? _Mum, why are you here?_ Eira thought in confusion. _Why would someone be saying that here?_ Eira honestly didn't want to find out. After the last swamp hallucination, well, she didn't want to go through that emotional anguish if it's just going to rip her heart out and stomp on it.

"I'm not going to listen." Eira spat through gritted teeth, holding her hands over his ears, trying to block it out but her curiosity was too strong. Eira turned around slowly and she saw that she was surrounded by five children.

Two boys. Three girls. From what Eira could tell, they were likely aged frim fifteen to five or four. The strangest this about it though, they all looked a bit like her. Some had her blonde hair, others had her eyes, her nose but with something else mixed in. Almost like they could related to her. But that was impossible.

"W-Who are you?" Eira stuttered, feeling almost claustrophobic as they stood around her in a circle.

The eldest began to speak but as she did only a faded whisper came out, like she couldn't speak any more than she had already done.

Eira couldn't shake the fact that she looked so much like her but with bright green eyes, more tanned skin and bright blue airbender tattoos. Wait, she was an airbender.

"What the hell is going on?!" Eira shrieked. Her mind was becoming overwhelmed by all of these swamp vision.

They didn't answer, instead they all began to jump away, most of them using airbending but with the youngest girl using earthbending instead to catch up with the others.

Eira clenched her fists.

"No! I'm going to get answers!" She yelled, jumping up to follow all of them. They were all incredibly fast and agile but she was not going to give up.

Eira ran as fast as she could, using her airbending to get herself even faster and jumping across the trees to try and follow them.

"Who are you!?" Eira yelled as she brushed past a curtain of vines and running across a thick branch but then she managed to run into another curtain of vines and they snagged at her arms and legs, sending her flying forwards but being trapped in the vines.

As Eira looked around, still suspended in the air thanks to the vines but her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Aang, Katara and Sokka all looking up at her in surprise.

"Eira?" Katara exclaimed in shock but Eira didn't respond. Her mind felt like it was spinning in confusion and frustration. Where did those weird children go?

She felt a slash at the vines and she fell to the floor, reacting quickly and using her airbending to soften her fall.

"Where have you been?" Sokka asked, clearly annoyed. "We've been looking all over this stupid swamp for you."

Eira looked around in a daze-like state, her thoughts still swirling around her head.

"Same, but, uh, you didn't see anyone around here, did you?" Eira asked, slightly nervously.

Aang cocked his head in confusion.

"Who are you talking about?" He asked. "Was it a girl in a white dress? Because I saw someone like that."

Eira shook her head.

"No, it was-. Never mind. It's not important." Eira said, dismissing it. "So, you guys saw something?"

Katara and Aang nodded but Sokka just gave Eira a weird half-sceptical expression.

"Yeah." Katara said her voice barely above a whisper. "I saw my mum."

Eira paused. She was annoyed with herself and how she lost control of her emotions, so she didn't exactly want to tell them.

"Yeah… me too. And my dad and sister." She admitted, not really wanting to remember it and choosing to exclude the strange children she saw. Eira wasn't going to try and explain it seeing as she didn't understand it herself.

"I keep on telling you it was nothing." Sokka persisted. "We're all just tired and hungry, and saw people we think about all of the time. Just because you saw things doesn't mean this swamp has any spiritual magic or anything."

"Did you see anything, Sokka?" Eira asked, half-concerned, half-curious. He paused, obviously mulling it over.

"I-I saw Yue, and Suki. But it was like they were ghosts or something." He said. _Why would that be?_ Eira thought puzzled. _They aren't dead. Yue isn't even a spirit. _"But it means nothing. It was just my hungry stomach, nothing else."

"But, then how did we all end up finding each other again? I followed a vision and it led me here to you guys." Eira explained.

"I dunno? Coincidence?" Eira rolled her eyes, then remembered something. She pulled out the machete from her belt. She'd forgotten about it. Thank goodness she didn't lose it or Sokka would've gone mental.

She handed it to Sokka.

"Here, I forgot to give it back considering the whole "separated by vines" thing." He took it and looked around.

"Eira, you didn't happen to see Appa or Momo did you?" Aang asked. "We didn't manage to see them so maybe you did." His face was hopeful but after seeing Eira's reaction, his face fell.

"I guess you didn't then." He concluded sadly.

"And we still don't know where we are." Katara added. "Maybe in the middle?" She said, trying to find any sort of indication of their location.

Aang and Eira looked up and saw the same thing in surprise. It was a shock they didn't notice it before. There was a massive tree growing out of the centre of the swamp. Its roots burrowed into the ground and seemed to snake in and out of the earth and its trunk was at least fifty or a hundred feet wide.

It formed an umbrella-like shape that seemed to shelter its trunk and it felt like it was radiating some sort of good feeling. A feeling of togetherness.

"Yeah, the centre… It's the heart of the swamp. _It's_ what's been calling us here, I knew it." Aang said in realisation, his voice floaty as he looked in awe at the tree and Eira could understand why. Its sheer size by itself was simply awe-inspiring.

"It is just a tree." Sokka stated stubbornly, raising his arms above his head. "It can't call anyone. For the last time, there's nothing after us and there's absolutely nothing magical or spiritual happening here!"

And that was the moment a giant monster made of plants erupted from the water.

"You had to say something!" Eira exclaimed in frustration just as it began to slam its monstrous, vine-y arm at them.

They all split up, Eira and Katara going to the right and Sokka and Aang going to the left. Thankfully its turning speed was slow but it certainly wasn't slow with its attacks. It shot out some vines at Sokka and swung him around but Aang cut off the vines with an airbending slice.

Eira began to charge at it, trying to avoid its attacks and as she was only a metre or so away, she leaped at it and slashed at the centre, cutting off a decent chunk of vines but to her horror more just moved up to take their place.

In her shock, Eira paused and in her confused state, she couldn't avoid the clump of vines slamming into her chest and sending her flying into a tree.

Eira slid down the tree, breathing heavily in pain but as more vines began their attack on her, she managed to roll away and Katara quickly used her water whip to slash the vines.

More vines picked Aang up by his foot and tried to fling him into the trees but he used his airbending to jump off the trees and back at the monster.

Katara and Eira kept on slashing at the monster, successfully cutting off large segments of the monster but even more vines kept on growing back to fix it.

It was getting tiring and as they tried to push it back, it just slammed its arm into the two girls and sent them flying again.

Sokka was hacking at the vines trying to envelop him with his machete but it wasn't working as he was quickly getting covered by them and as Aang was staring at him in shock, he was also hit with the vines again.

Eira sent a blast of air at the vines as she recovered from hitting the ground again and as Katara got up she span around in an airbender-like form and completely froze the vines surrounding Sokka when Eira struck the around with a forceful jet of air, it shattered and Sokka was thrown out of the monster.

Katara and Eira slashed at the vines that they had destroyed, preventing them from being regenerated and as Eira slashed at it one last time, she froze in shock as she saw a man inside it and it looked like her was waterbending.

Eira vaguely remembered this from the show but it still came as a surprise.

"Someone's bending the vines inside it!" She announced as she and Katara, with one final slice of air and water, the wooden mask in the centre of the monster was spit open as was the top of the monster but that still didn't stop it.

The vines picked Katra and Eira up and kept them up against two trees and as Eira struggled to escape the bindings she saw Aang using airbending to rip apart the vines.

"Why did you call me here is you just wanted to kill us?!" Aang demanded offensively.

"Wait!" A masculine voice began to talk from within the monster and after a slight pause, the vines dropped and the monster lost its form, revealing, to Eira's distaste, a stout middle-aged man with grey hair wearing nothing more than a leaf loincloth of sorts.

"I didn't call you here." He said in a puzzled tone, dropping his stance and the vines keeping Eira and Katara pinned to the trees relaxed, letting them drop to the ground.

Aang and Sokka shared a look of confusion but they kept their offensive positions.

"We were flying over and I heard something calling me, telling me to land." Aang explained sharply.

"He's the Avatar." Sokka mentioned, giving a small gesture to Aang. "Stuff like that happens to us a lot." _Tell me about it._ Eira thought slightly bitterly as she and Katara slowly edged towards their friends.

The man looked confused for a second but then a realisation crept up on his face.

"The Avatar? Come with me." He instructed, turning around and starting to walk up the tree. Sokka and Aang dropped their stances and they all shared nervous glances but they all silently agreed to follow the man.

He began to lead them up the side of the tree but there was still a nervous tension in the air.

"So, who are you?" Katara asked curiously. The man continued to walk, stopping only to bend a curtain of vines out of his way.

"I protect the swamp from folks that want to hurt it, like this fella with his big knife." He explained and Eira shot a pointed look at Sokka.

"See, Sokka? If you didn't begin to hack at everything you saw, we probably could've left without all of this madness." Eira scolded.

"But there was nothing mystical happening here." He persisted, finally sliding his machete back into his belt. "No monsters, just a normal guy defending his home." Sokka said smugly.

"Oh, the swamp is a mystical place all right." The man corrected as he sat down in a small gap in the tree. "It's sacred. I reached enlightenment right here under the banyan-grove tree. I heard it calling me, just like you did." He explained. Sokka raised an eyebrow sceptically.

"Sure ya' did. Seems really chatty." Sokka said sarcastically but as Eira looked out at the view from the tree, she was amazed. The tree's roots were the swamp. They grew up into new trees and from a distance, Eira could barely tell one thing for another. It was absolutely incredible.

"See this whole swamp is actually just one tree spread out over miles. Branches spread and sink, take root, and spread some more. One big, living organism. Just like the entire world." _Just like the entire world. All connected. All sitting on the same earth… It's funny how humans never realise that._

Aang looked a bit sceptical at that new information.

"I get how the tree and the swamp are just one big thing, but the _whole world_?"

The man smiled.

"Sure. You think you're any different from me, or your friends, or even this tree? If you listen hard enough, you can hear every living thing, breathing in harmony. Growing together. We're all the same, no matter what folks want to believe. We all have the same roots and we are all branches of the same tree."

_The same roots… branches of the same tree._ Eira thought. _Is that really true. I wasn't even born in this world. How could I have the same roots? Is that another indicator that I don't belong here?_ She couldn't help but take his enlightenment as more confirmation that she didn't belong in this world.

"But what did our visions mean?" Katara asked and Eira had to admit she was curious about that. What kind of hallucinogens did this swamp have to get them to so vividly see those things? Her family had looked and sounded so real.

"In the swamp, we see visions of people we've lost, people we loved, folks we think are gone, or out of our reach." He explained simply and Eira almost began to cry again as she thought about Jenna and her mum and dad. _I don't think people can be as far out of someone's reach as my family._

"But the swamp tells us that they're not gone. We're always connected to them. Time is an illusion, as is death and separation." Aang still looked confused.

"But what about my vision?" He asked. "It was someone I had never met."

The man gestured to Aang.

"You're the Avatar. You tell me." He said and Aang looked down at his feet to try and process his thoughts.

"If time's an illusion, then… It's someone I _will_ meet." He finished. _And that person is the great and mighty Toph._ Eira thought, smiling at the prospect of meeting Toph.

The man nodded but, as usual, Sokka was the one to break the mood.

"Sorry to interrupt the lesson, but we still need to find Appa and Momo." He said coldly, obviously not caring too much about interrupting the lesson.

Aang looked down at his hands and then at the vines, his face looking like he was having an epiphany.

"I, think I know how to find them." He muttered, kneeling down to one of the larger vines. "Everything is connected." Aang placed his hand gingerly on the vine and his tattoos and eyes began to glow as well as the vine.

The light travelled down the vine and after a minute it faded and Aang eye snapped back into reality.

"I know where they are!" He announced, jumping up and running off. Eira, Sokka and Katara ran after him trying to keep up with him and they ran for what seemed like ages until they heard some commotion.

They ran up to a small ledge next to a river and they saw some canoes chasing Appa and Momo.

Aang sent a giant stream of air at them and knocked one of their boat and Momo flew out of the bag he'd been trapped in.

"We're under attack!" One of them cried as he sent a puddle of water flying at Aang but he and Katara quickly used their waterbending to throw it away from them and they created a wave to hit the men who were trying to hunt Appa but they put up a defence, locking them into a fight with no-one gaining the advantage.

"Hey, you guys are waterbenders!" Katara realised.

"You too!" One of the men exclaimed. "That means we're kin!" They all stopped their waterbending and Eira couldn't help but snigger at Katara's slightly disgusted expression. Eira didn't blame her, being compared to middle-aged men in leaf loincloths who lived in a swamp wasn't very flattering.

Behind them, the man who had attacked them ran up behind them and waved to the men below and they did the same in response.

"Hey Huu! How you been?" One of them asked.

"You know, scared some folks, swung some vines, the usual." He joked and Eira just realised that she had never learnt his name.

o.O.o

It was night and they were finally able to eat some of the food they had on the saddle and Eira was so glad because by that time Eira was absolutely starving. They were all sitting down on some logs around a fire and Sokka and the waterbenders, whose names were apparently Due and Tho, were digging into some sort of bug and bird. It looked absolutely disgusting and Eira had no idea how Sokka was eating it.

"How do you like that possum chicken?" Due asked Sokka as Eira looked up at the night sky. The stars were sparkling like diamonds, almost exactly like when she and her family used to go camping and her father would teach her all of the different constellations.

"Tastes just like artic hen." Eira chuckled. Apparently every kind of meat tastes like some variant of chicken even in other worlds. At times like this, Eira both missed meat and didn't.

Eira began to tune out all of the conversation as she mainly focussed on what she had seen in the swamp.

The reason she saw her family was obvious. She missed them more than anything and the fact that the bridge between them almost completely burnt to her knowledge made her homesickness even worse than anything she'd ever experienced but the children confused her.

They looked like they were related to her but they were also benders. The eldest girl looked most like her as they were about the same age but she also had tanned skin and bright green eyes.

In fact, if Eira remembered correctly, almost all of them had green eyes and no-one in Eira's family had eyes that green. Like the golden/amber eyes of most firebenders in this world, that specifically vivid green eyes colour seemed to belong to this world.

Does that mean they were from this world; well they were airbenders and an earthbender so of course they were but… were they supposed to be her children?

The thought hit Eira like a punch. It would explain the resemblance but, Eira would never have _five_ children. Eira didn't think she'd have more than one and maybe not even that so how could that be?

And the two boys even looked like twins! It was just too far-fetched for Eira to think about.

It was also the fact that if they were her future children, it would mean that she wouldn't've have made it back home and she would've stayed in this world and Eira knew that wasn't going to happen. She didn't want that to happen. It would mean that she'd be doing what Fei Lian and Feng Yi wanted.

As stubborn as it sounded, Eira was determined to _not_ do what they wanted her to do i.e. stay in this world as an airbender and restore their culture… Wow, that sounded selfish. _It's not like I'd be condemning the airbenders. Aang's an airbender and if what I know of the Legend Of Korra will be true, he most likely will have an airbender child._ Eira thought, trying to reassure herself.

Eira sighed. She didn't have time to over-analyse had promised Aang that she'd help him defeat Ozai, and she was going to make sure she helped as much as she could and try and save some people as she did, make a positive impact. She could find a way home when she completed that promise.

* * *

**Okay, now we have some possible foreshadowing and you can all think about what it means for Eira's future but I hope you liked the chapter, I hope it was worth the wait and I have to warn you that you might have to get used to a weekly update or even further apart as it's exam season. _Yay!_**

**Please tell me what you thought and please review! :D**


	5. Chapter 5-Judicial BS

**Okay, I'm reaaalllllllly sorry for being so late, but I have a good reason. Exam revision. I have a couple of exams coming up so... apologies.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter! :D**

**Please tell me what you think and review!**

* * *

Chapter 5: Judicial BS

* * *

"Momo, what are you doing in my mouth?" Eira woke up groggily and that was the first thing she heard. As a rule, if something like that is what you first hear in the morning, your day isn't going to go very well.

"Sokka. Please shut up. Some of us are trying to sleep." She moaned, trying to pull her sleeping bag over her head to block the sound and the morning sunlight out.

Both Katara and Aang were starting to shuffle and were apparently waking up as well but apparently not fast enough as the ground was beginning to shake and rumble.

"What the heck?" Eira muttered but as she quickly threw her sleeping bag off her and saw three men on rhino-like creatures burst out of the bushes and start the circle them. They all wore Fire Nation clothing but it looked a lot more thug like with tattoos covering them as well as piercings and odd accessories.

"Give up!" The leader cried. "You're completely surrounded!" _T_

_Thanks for the information, Captain Obvious. _Eira thought bitterly as she quickly got up from her sleeping place and grabbed her scarf and staff, annoyed that her hair was blowing in her face as she tried to survey her surroundings for a way to get on Appa, fly out _and_ make sure they had all of their things as well.

A man, who looked like some sort of yuyan archer, took three flaming arrows and as Sokka tried to get away, inch worming in sleeping bag, he shot them at him.

Eira span her staff forcefully at the arrows and with her airbending she sent them flying back at him, the air blowing them out.

The archer moved to avoid them and Eira ran over to Sokka, grabbing all of his things as he slipped out of his sleeping bag clumsily and got up.

"Thanks." He said quickly as he began to run towards Appa.

"Welcome." Eira responded as she also began to run to Appa.

"Come on! Come on! Come on!" Sokka commanded to Katara as he and Eira climbed up onto Appa's saddle where Aang was already at the reigns.

Katara began to make her way towards them but she stopped suddenly as she turned around to look at the area she was sleeping in.

"Katara! We need to go!" Eira shouted, trying to snap her out of her daze but she just ran over to the stump she was sleeping next to and where a man was swinging his sword and stabbed it into the stump menacingly.

"My scrolls!" Katara exclaimed, looking at the box next to the sword and Aang suddenly looked around in a panic, apparently realising he'd forgotten something.

"My staff!" He yelled, clearly shocked that he had forgotten it. Aang quickly jumped off Appa as Eira tried to reach out and stop him but it was too late.

Katara ran to the stump and charged at the man with the sword with a stream of water and shot it at the sword, completely freezing it. The man looked down at it in shock and as he stared down in confusion, Katara darted to the box and swiped it just before the man broke his sword free, shattering the ice but not in time as Katara was now jumping up onto Appa.

Sokka reached for his boomerang and threw it at the man's head, effectively knocking him out as Eira quickly sent a slash of air with her staff at the man about to throw heavy steel chains at Aang.

It struck him straight in the chest and managed to force him to drop the chains so it tangled him instead of Aang.

Aang sprinted around a tree to grab his staff and he went back to leap onto Aang's head.

"Appa! Yip yip!" He commanded as he flicked the reigns. Appa slammed his tail to the ground and jumped up into the sky, flying away but then Sokka looked around desperately.

"Wait, where's my boomerang?" He asked, looking over the side of the saddle as the ground got further and further away and then his eyes widened in horror.

Eira looked curiously over the side of the saddle as well and saw what Sokka was so horrified. His boomerang was lying by the man he had knocked out.

"We need to go back!" He insisted, turning to Aang hopefully but they all had to duck suddenly to avoid a great burst of orange flame.

"Ahh!" Eira covered her head and as the flames dissipated they all sat up again. "Sorry, Sokka, but I don't think there's time." She admitted sadly and he faced her, clearly annoyed.

"Oh, so we can wait for Katara to get _her_ stupid scrolls or for Aang to get _his_ staff but we can't turn around and get _my_ boomerang?" He asked, irritated.

"Hey, I was the one who got your boomerang for you the first time. If it wasn't for me you would've just left it there." Eira said indignantly.

"That is true." Katara commented, rather unhelpfully.

Sokka glared at her.

"But, hey. Boomerangs always come back, right?" Eira said unsurely in a vain attempt to cheer him up. Sadly, it didn't work. He looked as miserable as usual.

Giving up on trying to make him feel better, Eira shuffled over to the side of the saddle and wrapped her scarf around her head as she looked around at the quickly moving ground below them. But as usual, it didn't feel quick enough.

o.O.o

"Sorry about your boomerang, Sokka." Aang said as he looked down at Sokka, who was moping on the floor, leaning against the side of the food stand Eira and Katara were buying food from.

One thing Eira hated about travelling across the world with roughly a third of it trying to kill you was that it really brought home how quickly four people can get through food. Oh, and the fact that a third of the world is trying to kill you. That was annoying as well.

Eira loaded all of the food they chose into a small bag and Katara paid the man.

"I feel like I've lost a part of my identity." Sokka mumbled sadly. He got up and moved the conical hat Aang wore to hide his head arrow slightly so he could point to the blue tattoo.

"Imagine if you lost your arrow." He said, then he made swirling motions around his head as he gestured to Katara. "Or if Katara lost her hair loopies or if Eira…" He paused for a second to try and think of something to say but he must've given halfway as he just gestured to all of her. "Or if Eira wasn't Eira."

"Thanks Sokka. I can see just how much effort you put into that statement." Eira said sardonically as she shoved the bag of food into his arms. "Now we should get moving, ponytail guy."

Sokka looked glumly at the ground.

"I used to be boomerang guy."

"Nope, ponytail guy sounds funnier." Eira corrected.

"Hey, Water Tribe money!" They turned around to see the man inspecting the coins that Katara had handed him.

They did look odd, different shades of blue in circles and made of a strange metal Eira didn't recognise. It was weird to think that they were both so diverse and weren't at the same time that they could spend a different nation's money and still get it to work.

Eira remembered when her family visited France and the stress her parents went through to make sure they had enough euros.

"I hope that's okay." Katara said but the man smiled reassuringly and placed the coin in a leather pouch on his belt.

"So long as it's money." The merchant said, starting to close up his stall as Katara walked over to the group.

"Have a nice Avatar Day!" He said cheerfully and as he was about to leave, Aang stopped him, clearly interested at the thought of a day dedicated to him.

"Avatar Day?" He asked curiously.

"You guys are going to the festival, right?" The merchant replied as he walked away, waving.

Aang and Katara smiled at each other and they both looked at Sokka, then Eira, expectantly.

"No." Eira said bluntly. "We can't go to that festival." Katara started to speak but Eira held out a finger to silence her.

"And before you say it, no we can't _just be careful_. Every time we go to a festival, we always end up chased by some firebenders or required to do something that will end up distracting us." _And if I remember correctly, both will happen._ Eira thought grimly. For once since they came back from the North Pole, an episode was clear in her head.

Aang was going to get arrested by some stupid, corrupt town and they were going to spend the entire day doing nothing of real use.

Aang looked at her with his big pleading grey eyes and Eira trying to look away.

"For the last time, it's a bad idea." Eira insisted.

"Pleeeeease, Eira. It might help Sokka cheer up and as the Avatar, don't you think I should be at the Avatar day festival." He pleaded.

"Come on, Eira." Katara said. "It's important for Aang to learn more about these things."

"They might have some nice food as well." Sokka muttered. Eira was being outvoted.

"But announcing to an entire town that the Avatar is there is just going to get that town and us targeted considering the fact that we were attacked just this morning, causing Captain Sunshine over there to lose his boomerang."

"How about we settle this with a vote?" Katara asked. _Dammit! She had to go the democratic way._ Eira thought in frustration.

Usually, or at least back home, Eira could convince her friends out of bad situations but for some reason here they were a lot more stubborn and excitable. Not bad qualities, probably better than being easily swayable or dull and cynical but… still.

"All for?" Katara asked and the three of them raised their hands. Katara looked around with a smile.

"I guess we win, then." Aang said cheerfully.

"Can we try to be careful at the very least?"

o.O.o

So far the town seemed incredibly cheerful and certainly festive. They passed countless stalls for all sorts of different items and foods and, of course, Sokka needed to stop at all of the food stalls and it was amazingly difficult to stop Aang from spending all of their money on the nick-nacks.

It was exhausting to say the least.

"So there's a holiday for the Avatar. Who knew?" Aang said in amazement as they walked through the bustling crowd and almost into the road of sorts where the crowd stopped but they stopped as a giant Kyoshi figure rolled past.

"Look!" Katara said, pointing at the float. "They made a giant Kyoshi float!"

Sokka chomped down on his fried dough as he looked around the corner.

"And here comes Avatar Roku." He said, pointing with his food.

Eira also looked around the corner and was surprised at the quality of the floats, just to destroy them if memory served correctly.

The statues were being pulled into the centre of the town and Eira saw Aang trying to hide a smile.

"Having a huge festival in your honour is great, but frankly, it's nice to just be appreciated." Aang said proudly.

"It's also nice to appreciate their deep-fried festival food." He said, taking another large bite.

"And now we have you, Aang." Eira whispered, trying not to say it too loud so other people in the crowd could hear it but with the noise they were making, Eira doubted they would here it if she even spoke normally.

Aang smiled brightly as he looked at the massive statue of him roll by. He looked very happy with it but Eira couldn't help but think that the smile was a bit too weird or wide. Too much like the creepy Ba Sing Se people.

"Wow! That's the biggest me I've ever seen!" He exclaimed in delight.

"I would hope so." Eira joked, laughing as she looked around the corner again. This time a man carrying a torch, like an Olympic torch, was running off towards the figures which were now standing in a line in the centre of the town, the crowd forming a circle around them.

"Now a torch, that's a nice prop." Sokka commented. "It's bright, dangerous…" He sniffed the air. "It smells manly. But I'm not sure I could carry it off." Eira also sniffed the air but she gagged slightly. Apparently being manly meant you smelt like grime and her friend's brother's room.

"I'm personally glad you don't carry it off." Eira mumbled under her breath, then she looked at the runner again. He was charging straight for the floats. "Oh no…"

"Hey, what's that guy doing?" Katara asked as the runner, with a loud over-the-top scream, he jumped straight through the Kyoshi effigy, the torch effectively began to spread through the figure and incredibly soon, it was completely ablaze.

"Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar! Down with the Avatar!" They all chanted as they all looked at the flaming figure of Kyoshi and it couldn't sound any more like some sort of demon summoning.

_Seriously, what the heck?!_ Eira thought, incredibly shocked at the strange tradition.

The runner then began to set the torch next to Roku's effigy and the fire began to spread just as quickly as it did with Kyoshi's.

Katara and Sokka's eyes widened in surprise and Sokka's jaw dropped, unfortunately dropping some food out of it and Eira looked at it in disgust.

"In what society is _this_ perfectly acceptable or celebrated?" Eira asked as she watched the figures slowly turn black and burnt.

The runner began to climb up on top of a roof and as the crowd's attention turned to, who Eira assumed was the leader of the town, and after a dramatic pause he singled to the torch-bearer.

The crowd cheered as the torch-bearer threw his torch at Aang's statue and as it hit his eye and the fire began to spread horrifyingly.

"Oh my gosh!" Eira exclaimed, turning her attention to Aang, to see if he was coping with this… and he clearly wasn't. He looked terrified and disgusted at the same time.

Katara ran forwards and used her waterbending to throw the water around her from two large barrels at the flaming effigies suddenly dousing them and stopping the fire.

"That part pooper's ruining Avatar Day!" A random villager accused, pointing at Katara and Eira clenched her fists angrily but before she could yell at them, Aang airbent himself on top of his half-burnt figure.

"That party pooper's my friend!" He shouted angrily, managing to make his voice heard around the entire crowd as he threw off his hat and clearly exposed his blue tattoos and there was a moment of silence in the crowd as they looked from his forehead to the half-burnt one of his effigy.

The mayor looked at Aang in terror and pointed a shaking finger at him.

"It's the Avatar himself!" He cried and the crowd immediately began to freak out, all screaming in fear.

"It's going to kill us with its awesome Avatar powers." Eira heard a villager scream and she was particularly irked at the use of the word 'it'. Aang was a bloody person, not a _thing._

Eira stepped out of the crowd and glared at the mayor and where she thought the person screamed.

"Hey! Aang is a person. How dare you treat him like some… monster! He is just a person who's doing his best to help people like you!" She scolded in annoyance.

"Yeah, we're on your side." Katara insited.

The mayor scoffed.

"I find that hard to swallow." He said calmly before raising his voice for the rest of the town to hear. "Considering what you did to us in your past life!"

Aang looked shocked. Since Eira already knew about Aang's more… uh, violent past lives it wasn't such a surprise for her but she could imagine how Aang was feeling.

He was the sweetest, kindest person Eira knew and he was apparently so bad in a past life, he caused an entire town to hate him. Sure it turned out that the person died by his own stupidity and Kyoshi didn't murder him but still.

"It was Avatar Kyoshi; she murdered our glorious leader, Chin the Great." He announced and Eira scowled. She remembered Chin the Great, but also the fact that he was also known as Chin the Conqueror. Made sense; a corrupt leader for a corrupt town.

Aang looked sickened, his face turned pale and his eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You think I… killed someone?" He stuttered, completely and utterly shocked. _No, Aang. They're accusing Kyoshi, they shouldn't be accusing you._ Eira thought sadly. She never truly understood why people treated Aang like he _was_ his past lives. Not a new person with the same fate.

Eira, Sokka and Katara looked around at the hateful faces in the crowd and Eira couldn't help but feel angry at them. To hate _all_ Avatars just because one stopped their leader, a cruel leader who deserved to be stopped and Kyoshi didn't even kill him!

"We used to be a great society before you killed our leader." An old man said from the crowd, lisping and slurring his words as he pointed to his hideously wrinkled and out-of-shape face. "Not look at us!"

From up on his statue Aang let out a yelp of horror at the old man's face and he jumped off and used his airbending to land next to Katara.

Katara looked at Aang sadly then angrily at the crowd as she placed a protective, steadying hand on Aang's shoulders.

"Aang would never do something like that. No Avatar would." Katara shook her head incredulously then pointed accusingly at all of the townspeople. "And it's not fair for all of you to question his honour!"

One of the villagers scoffed disrespectfully and raised his arms to emphasise his equally disrespectful remark.

"Let's tell her what we think of the Avatar's "honour"!" He said before turning around to shake his rear at Aang as he blew a raspberry. The other villagers cheered in approval and Eira scowled even deeper. They were acting like children, no, scratch that. They were acting like infants as even Aang or Sokka wouldn't act so immature.

"Wow, how mature." Eira said sarcastically. "And you call yourselves adults? I doubt you have any evidence to accuse Avatar Kyoshi of her crime, and even less reason to blame my friend."

Sadly, though, the mayor seemed to take that as a challenge and Eira, once again, cursed her smart mouth.

"We have evidence. Evidence enough for the Avatar to stand trial." He announced confidently.

Aang looked at the mayor with steely determination.

"I'll gladly stand trial."

"You'll have to follow all of our rules and that includes paying bail." The mayor added but Aang smiled carefreely.

"No problem." He turned to Katara, then back to the mayor. "And… how much is bail, again?"

o.O.o

The answer: too much.

"How was I supposed to know they wouldn't take Water Tribe money?" Aang asked apologetically as he looked through the circular, barred window of his cell. He looked very uncomfortable as his head was in some sort of wooden stock and he was trying to stand up as straight as possible.

Katara held her hands over her face in shame and Sokka leant against the prison bars, arms crossed in irritation as he looked at Aang.

"If it makes you feel any better, Aang, we couldn't have afforded it even if they accepted Water Tribe money. Apparently, there's a _special_ bail price for an Avatar who murde-" Eira stopped mid-sentence as she looked at Aang's face. She was clearly not making him feel better.

"Sorry." She quickly apologised as she looked around awkwardly. "Don't worry. We can prove your innocence and fill you in on the details since you're apparently not going anywhere if we don't."

Sokka rolled his eyes.

"That will take too much time." He complained before turning to Aang. "So what if some people don't like you, big deal! There's a whole nation of firebenders who hate you. Come on, let's bust you out of here and we can go." He said impatiently in a tone Eira suspected was supposed to be reassuring.

"I can't." Aang protested sadly from behind the bars.

"Sure you can!" Sokka said cheerfully. "A little" Sokka made swinging, swirly motions with his hands as he jumped back, making blowing noises to make it sound like airbending and Eira and Katara covered their faces in embarrassment. He made _pew_-ing noises as he slashed his arms through the air. "Airbending slice!" He yelled and looked expectantly at Aang. "Then we're on our way."

Katara sighed at her brother but looked at Aang with the same expectation.

"I think what "Master Swish" is trying to say is that you're supposed to be out saving the world. You can't exactly do that locked up in here." Katara said, switching from mocking Sokka to being serious.

"But I can't do that with people thinking I'm a murderer either." Aang said unhappily.

"Aang's right. If people think what these people think about him, no one will want to accept his help. Our best option is to prove him innocent as quickly as possible." Eira agreed.

_Thank goodness I've played Phoenix Wright or I wouldn't know where to even start._ Eira thought, thinking back to when she played the games. She loved the gameplay, even if it only vaguely resembled what murder cases were like.

"And our best chance is with me!" Sokka boasted. "I was the ace detective back home. I even managed to discover who was responsible for the missing seal jerky. Everyone wanted to blame it on the polar leopard, but I figured out it was-" Sokka began to rambled on so Eira held out a finger to silence him.

"Okay, Sokka. I think we get it." Eira said sharply but she was trying not to laugh at Katara and Aang's funny expressions, mocking Sokka.

Sokka slouched unhappily, but then stood up straighter, cheered up.

"Alright, I'm going to need some props." He announced, running off quickly, and only a couple of minutes later he was back… with a monocle and weird Sherlock-like green hat.

"I'm ready!" He said and Eira and Katara couldn't help but break down in laughing. He just looked so ridiculous.

"Nice hat, Sherlock." Eira commented sarcastically but she forgot that Sokka didn't get the reference.

"Who?" He asked, clearly puzzled but Eira waved it off.

"It's not important, just a detective from my world." She explained. "But now, let's check out the crime scene."

o.O.o

They'd contacted Mayor Tong and apparently he was delighted to show them around the crime scene. It was actually quite strange seeing as his explanation of events was full of holes that Tom-Tom could see through.

He led them all up to the small temple on the top of the small cliff which had a weird shape to it. Below it was a group of almost bubbly rocks that had been worn down by the ocean battering against it but it still looked like they had melted on the side of the cliff. Weird.

"This is the crime scene." Tong said, gesturing to the area as Sokka began inspecting everything from the floor to even the sky.

As Eira looked over the side of the cliff, feeling a bit nervous as the ground felt a bit unstable, she looked down at the ground she was slightly surprised to see that she was almost standing on an imprinted footprint. A tiny footprint.

Eira lined up her foot next to the footprint and saw that she was at least two sizes larger. She was a size 9 and it looked like a size 5 or 6 or that's what Eira guessed. She wasn't the best at judging size but it didn't matter. It was far too small to be Kyoshi and if Eira remembered correctly, it was an important piece of evidence for later.

"What's this footprint?" Katara asked, looking curiously at what Eira was looking at.

"That is the footprint of the killer, Kyoshi. It was at sunset, 370 years ago today, that she emerged from the temple, and struck down Chin the Great and after that tragic day, we built this statue to immortalise our great leader." He raised his arms towards the giant stone statue opposite the temple.

Eira looked closely at the statue and despite the fact she wasn't the best at proportions when she was drawing, mainly opting to draw cartoons so she could move over that, she could easily tell that Chin wasn't a very tall man. He looked too short even in his massive statue.

"Chin wasn't very tall, was he?" Eira asked and after an indignant look from Tong, he finally spluttered out an answer.

"Yes, well, uh, he was just below average but he was a mighty man." Eira nodded.

"Yeah, I thought as such." Eira looked back at the footprint. _You've helped us again._ Eira thought, a sly smile creeping up on her face.

Mayor Tong began to leave, seeing as his work was done, explaining what happened and Sokka got out his monocle/magnifying glass and got to work examining everything.

He looked intently at the base of the statue and then back at the temple, back and forth as Eira peaked inside the temple.

There was nothing that important in it, just a couple of paintings of Chin and a few artefacts that didn't look like they'd be able to help Aang's case, even though having a full outfit noted as what he wore the day Avatar Kyoshi killed him was a bit strange. There was no evidence of wounds or a fight, only age.

Eira didn't understand how they managed to get it in their minds that Kyoshi killed him with all of the weird pieces of evidence that made their timeline of events simply look wrong.

"The temple and the statue were cut from the same stone." Eira heard Sokka say from outside the small temple. Eira looked out of the temple and saw Katara and Sokka looking back up at the statue.

"And we know that the statue was built _after_ Chin died." Sokka added and they all seemed to come to the same conclusion, piecing it all together.

"That means Avatar Kyoshi couldn't-" Katara began but she was cut off by a _shhh_-ing Sokka.

"Shhh! I wanna solve it!" Sokka said raising his voice and Eira couldn't help but roll he eyes.

"Sokka, you're being childi-" Eira began but Sokka shushed her before she could finish. He was really determined to be the detective.

"If the temple and statue were built at the same time, that means Kyoshi never set foot in this temple!" He concluded, turning to Katara and Eira expectantly, probably for a compliment of his genius but he was only met with unimpressed faces.

"It's a hole in the mayor's testimony for sure and it definitely casts doubt on the rest of what he said," Eira said, but then she saw Katara beginning to realise it.

"But it's not enough to prove Aang's innocence." She finished in disappointment. Eira nodded.

"You're right. We need to find more evidence and I doubt we're going to get it here." Eira said, looking around at the temple absent-mindedly but when she looked back at Sokka, he was holding a dragon-shaped pipe of sorts.

He blew on it and several bubbles flew out of the dragon's mouth.

"We need to go to Kyoshi Island." He said ominously but Eira was still focussing on the pipe.

"Where did you get that?" She asked in surprise. Back in the show it was cartoon logic, but now… what? Eira sighed in confusion and rubbed her temples. She was never going to fully get used to living in a cartoon world in real life. Ever.

o.O.o

They had all gone back to Appa and flew over to Kyoshi Island without any hassle but Eira was not looking forward to seeing the small island again. Her memories of the place were generally connected to fire, Zhao and it all being her fault. It was true that Zuko was there and throwing fire as well but I doubt adding Zhao helped.

It was weird thinking that Zhao was dead and even weirder to think about how long it had been since they last saw Zuko. They hadn't seen him since the North Pole and it was kind of unnerving. Usually his chasing them was an almost reassuring constant.

As they flew closer to the island, they heard a loud gong to announce their arrival. As Eira looked over the side of the saddle she saw almost every single villager burst out of their houses or markets or whatever to await their landing.

Hero worship was defiantly something to get used to even if it was all for Aang.

Sokka began to wave to them and as Appa landed, everyone who had walked out to greet them began to gather near Appa and one of the men in the crowd began to squeal and even foam at the mouth as he collapse to the ground. Okay… foaming mouth guy was a bit weird in real life.

Several little children pushed past an old man who looked like the leader of the village and a particular little girl looked expectantly at them, arms raised high in excitement but when she saw just the three of them, she angrily stomped her foot.

"Where's Aangy?" He demanded forcefully.

"He's in prison." Eira said bluntly as she, Katara and Sokka got off Appa.

A wave of worried, quick murmurs burst out from the crowd and the foaming mouth guy who had fallen to the floor woozily got up and as he looked around in disappointment, he wiped his mouth and pulled his tunic over his head in embarrassment and slinked out of the crowd.

Many people where asking questions but seeing as Aang wasn't there, they decided to leave and talk among themselves.

"I wanted to see Aangy." Eira heard the little girl mumble angrily and Eira couldn't help but feel annoyed. _Thanks for the warm welcome._She thought, slightly bitterly.

In a matter of seconds, the crowd had completely dispersed with the expection of the old man.

"Ovaii!" Katara said as she ran up to him. "As Eira said, Aang's in jail. The town of Chin says hhe murdered their leader in a past life." She quickly explained. Ovaii looked horribly shocked.

"They say it was Kyoshi, but I don't understand why they're using _that_ to charge Aang. Can you even use the actions of a past life against someone?" Eira asked as that was really bugging her. It just didn't make sense.

"It's crazy." Ovaii said in indignation. "I'll take you to her shrine. Maybe you can find something to clear her name."

Ovaii turned around and led them through the village to a large hill. Eira was looking around curiously as he did. She was curious to see what living in a village founded by Kyoshi was like.

Everywhere she looked, she saw things to do with Kyoshi, but the main one was the colourful statue standing near the entrance. Katara and Sokka weren't as taken in by the surroundings as Eira seeing as they spent a good time here before.

Eira really wanted to meet the Kyoshi warriors, though.

"So, uh… What's Suki up to? Is she around?" Sokka asked, clearly feigning casualness. Eira kind of felt sad that she inadvertently caused his feelings about Suki to be more… complicated. Eira knew that Sokka still really liked Yue, but he still clearly liked Suki.

But as he wasn't bringing it up, Eira chose to ignore it for the time being.

Sokka looked around awkwardly and as he looked back at Katara, Katara gave him a loving smile.

"Actually, she and the other warriors left to fight in the war." Ovaii informed. "You kids had a big impact on Suki. She said you inspired her and she wanted to help change the world."

"Oh, well… that's great." Sokka said, slanting his eyes in disappointment. The walked under a large gate and towards a temple on top of a hill that resembled the one at the crime scene.

"This temple was converted into a shrine to Kyoshi. These clerics tell us these relics are still connected to her spirit." Ovaii said as they walked inside and it was definitely better kept than the once in the town of Chin.

The walls were covered in artefacts and her clothes were placed on stands.

"That's her kimono." He said, gesturing to the kimono and Katara walked up to it and inspected the fabric.

"She had exquisite taste." She noted but she quickly dropped the fabric when Ovaii's expression turned panicked.

"Please don't touch!"

Sokka was looking around the other side of the room and holding a fan that had been placed on a pedestal.

"These fans…" He started as he waved them around. "These were her weapons, no?" He asked as Eira looked around for some actual clues, not just admiring Kyoshi's taste.

"Please refrain from touching the fans as well, please."

She looked at the set of clothes and compared her foot next to her boots and Eira's predictions were confirmed. Her boots were a lot larger than Eira's and seeing as the footprint was tiny, Eira now had enough evidence to brush away the mayor's accusation.

"Hey, guys. I found something." Eira announced and Sokka and Katara began to walk over to her.

"Her boots are really big." Katara noted.

Eira nodded. "But the footprint back at the scene was tiny. That means that-"

Sokka quickly coughed sharply to cut her off.

"Special outfit? Hat and pipe? These things mean nothing to you two?" He asked, annoyed.

Eira reached for the brim of his hat and pulled it down over his face, smirking at his indignation.

"Nope." She said before turning back to Katara. "That means all evidence linking Kyoshi to the crime scene is now gone."

"So, she's innocent." Katara concluded happily but Eira sadly shook her head.

"True, she is innocent. But the mayor could still say that she just didn't leave a footprint and still attacked him. She doesn't have an alibi."

Sokka tugged the hat off his face and looked around irritated before stopping as his eyes landed on the picture hanging on the back of the room.

"Wait." He muttered as he walked up to it. "What's this painting?" He asked and Ovaii smiled as he looked at it.

"Ah, yes. This painting is called "The Birth of Kyoshi". It was painted at sunrise the day this island was founded. Why, it was painted today, in fact, 370 years ago."

Sokka spun around in surprise and grabbed Ovaii by the collar.

"Wait, it was painted 370 years ago, _today_?!" he asked. "Are you sure it was today?!"

Ovaii jerked himself free from Sokka's grip and pushed him back slightly.

"Seeing as it's Kyoshi day, yes, I'm sure." He said, a bit irritatedly.

Sokka stared at the painting intensely and Eira and Katara ran over to see what he was he was focussing on.

"This ceremony didn't take place at sunrise. It took place at sunset. Look at the shadows." Sokka said, pointing to the shadows under the several figures. They were pointing east.

"They point east, so the sun must've been in the west." Katara noticed.

"So what?" Ovaii asked but as Katara was about to speak, she was pushed away by Sokka.

"If Kyoshi was in the ceremony at sunset, she couldn't have been in Chin committing the crime." Sokka explained, ignoring his sister who was now on the floor.

Eira jabbed him with her elbow as she walked past to help Katara get up and he yelped in pain, rubbing his arm.

"So, now she had an alibi. She is now 100% innocent." Eira finished as she pulled Katara up. "And our work is done here." She said, brushing off her hands in satisfaction. No way Mayor Tong could ignore this.

o.O.o

"Honourable Mayor, we've prepared a solid defence for the Avatar. We did an investigation and found some very strong evidence." Katara said respectfully but Eira thought 'honourable Mayor' was a bit much.

Sokka smiled broadly and confidently as his eyes shifted to see Aang and he pointed eagerly to himself as if to say that he was the one who discovered all of the strong evidence. Thankfully Aang didn't seem to buy it but he still smiled widely in return. He was probably just glad they found evidence to clear his name. Or at least, Kyoshi's.

"Evidence?" Tong said, puzzled. "Hmph! That's not how our court system works." He said dismissively.

Eira was stunned.

"Then what kind of court system is it?!" She yelled angrily. Tong didn't look the least bit fazed.

"It's simple. I say what happened." He said slowly, pointing to himself and them to Aang. "Then he says what happened. Then _I_ decide who's right." Everyone could do nothing but gasp. What. The. Hell.

"That's why it's called justice. Because it's "just us"." He mocked, laughing manically as he began to walk of but Eira wasn't going to have that. She just couldn't believe it. How could something so corrupt exist?

She grabbed his tunic and pulled him away from the exit, managing to slam him into the cell wall with surprising ease.

"No! It's called justice because it's supposed to be "just" and fair. I will not just sit by as you're using a corrupt system to charge my friend!" Eira shouted angrily. "It's as corrupt and evil as your leader was." She spat and he quickly ran off, terrified.

There was just silence as they all looked shocked at Eira.

"Do you think that's going to come back and bite us?" Sokka asked and Eira looked apologetically at them all, embarrassed at her lack of control.

"Sorry… but I'm not going to let them convict you, Aang. You're innocent and they're going to know it."

o.O.o

When the bailiff of sorts came to tell them that the trial was starting, he took Aang from his cell and directed them to the large amphitheatre in the centre of the town.

Eira, Sokka and Katara sat with the rest of the townspeople in the seats and they watched as Mayor Tong paced around in front of Aang as he gave his testimony,

"Everyone loved Chin the Great because he was so great. Then the Avatar showed up and killed him, and that's how it happened." He said emotionally, finishing with a flick of his sleeves as he put his hands in them, walking away with a large smile on his face.

"The accused will now present its argument." The guard who took Aang said in his incredibly deep, monotonous voice. _Again with the "it". Aang is a person!_ Eira thought and as Aang stepped forwards to present his argument, Eira stood up and walked over to him.

"The defence's argument is that there is no evidence to place Kyoshi on the crime scene." Eira said, projecting her voice across the amphitheatre.

"Wait, but you're not all-" Tong began but Eira continued going on, he wasn't going to stop her now.

"The prosecution says that Avatar Kyoshi stepped out of that temple and killed Chin at sunset, leaving an incriminating footprint behind." Eira said, pointing to the temple area behind Aang.

"First of all, your temple and your statue were built at the same time and the statue was built _after_ the death of Chin. This means that she couldn't have been in the temple."

"But-" The mayor began, trying to but in but Eira was getting used to ignoring him now.

"Then, the other evidence linking Kyoshi to the scene is the footprint." Eira said. "The footprint in question is far too small to be Kyoshi's as it is even too small to be mine, and Kyoshi was a fully grown woman who was also much taller than me. Also, if this isn't enough evidence, Kyoshi was also posing for a painting _at sunset_. This creates an alibi for her and there is absolutely no evidence to convict her."

The mayor looked absolutely dumbstruck and Eira loved it. There was no way they could prove Aang or Kyoshi guilty now!

Katara and Sokka looked happily from the stands and as Eira looked back at Aang, he gave her a smiled.

Eira turned back to the Mayor for his verdict and after a pause… she got it, unfortunately.

"Guards! Arrest her!" Tong ordered and before Eira could properly react, two guards came up behind her and grabbed her arms. "This is a mockery of Chin law!"

"Wait, what!?" Eira exclaimed. She hadn't been expecting that.

"You are charged with interfering with court business and because of the illegality of the Avatar's defence, I hereby declare him guilty."

There was complete and utter silence in the crowd. Even the villagers didn't know what was supposed to be going on.

Katara and Sokka looked absolutely horrified and Eira just didn't know what to do. She was being arrested… _cachu!_

The guards began to "escort" her towards the cells and as Eira looked back apologetically at her friends, she couldn't help but feel cheated. They but her in handcuffs and shoved her into a cell.

"Just great." She muttered angrily under her breath.

Eira sat in the corner of the cell bitterly and rested her chin and her fist as she looked out of the cell window.

She laughed dryly. _Just my luck to get both the defendant declared guilty __**and**__ get myself arrested at the same time. It's the Eira special!_

As Eira watched the mice- well, not mice as they had elephant ears and trunks of some kind- skitter around, she heard some rapid footsteps getting closer to the cell. Eira looked out curiously and saw Sokka running up.

"Oh, hey, Sokka." Eira said half-heartedly. "Sorry 'bout that." He looked condescendingly at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Only you could manage to get yourself arrested on top of everything else." Eira looked at the floor shamefully.

"Guess I messed up, didn't I?" Eira said quietly. After a slight pause, he nodded.

"Yeah. That's why I'm here. We're just planning to break you out now. Tried the legal route once, time to try the other one." He said and Eira smiled.

"To be honest, in a place like this, who cares?" She laughed as she got up and walked over to the bars.

Eira looked down at her handcuffs and easily slipped them off. They just didn't have any smaller, thankfully.

They fell the the floor with a metal _clink_ and Eira took a steadying breath before she slashed her hand at the stone surrounding the bars and with a large slash of air, the rocks shattered and dust billowed up into the air.

Eira and Sokka both coughed as the dust flew up but as it settled and Eira could see better, she saw that the bars had fallen to the floor and that there was a sizable hole in the wall.

"Perfect." Eira said cheerfully, clapping her hands together as she stepped out of the hole with ease.

Eira brushed the dust off of her clothes then looked up at Sokka.

"So, let's go get Aang now." She said, walking away happily. _Thank goodness we can still save Aang, even after how badly I messed it up. He didn't even have to "confess" to get declared guilty this time._ Eira thought, grimacing slightly at her thoughts.

Sokka and Eira were about to run over to the town centre to collect Aang but Eira heard some rumbling and stopped.

She held out her hand to stop Sokka as well and pulled him away into cover.

"Eira, what the heck?" Sokka hissed but she raised a finger to her mouth to silence him as she looked around.

The rumbling was beginning to get louder and just as Sokka was getting impatient and was about to leave their hiding place, the Fire Nation thugs on the weird rhinos stormed past them. Sokka gasped but Eira narrowed her eyes knowingly.

"We need to get Aang and Katara." Eira said and Sokka nodded in agreement.

Once they made sure that they hadn't been seen by them, they quickly ran across the street to the amphitheatre where the rhino riders were threatening all of the townspeople.

"We've come to claim this village for the Fire Lord!" The leader announced as Eira and Sokka crept around the side to find Katara and Aang.

"Now show me your leader so I may…" he swung his sword at the statue and it was sliced into large pieces.

"Dethrone him." _Well, bugger._ Eira thought irritatedly as she walked around to see Katara looking up at the thugs, poised and ready to water whip them in the faces at the drop of a hat.

"Hey, Katara." Eira said quietly.

She turned around sharply but when she saw it was just Eira and Sokka, she visibly relaxed.

"Thank La, you're okay." She said in relief but when she looked up to see the rhinos beginning to attack everyone.

"We need to get rid of these rhinos." Eira said determinedly and Katara smiled. Behind them, Aang began to charge at one of the men, fans in hand and he sent him flying off with his fans and as one of them tried to go and attack Mayor Tong, Aang turned to attack the leader.

"Rhinos! To the town!" He commanded and the yuyan archer guy began to notch four flaming arrows into his bow and shot them at the houses.

Eira quickly sent a shot of air at him and the arrows were sent flying into a post, all put out but he and the others continued to send more and more fire at the houses as they let lose all havoc.

Eira, Katara and Sokka chased after all of them but as they did explosions burst out every minute or so.

Buildings were being shattered around them but as a man was going to smash down a house, Katara began water whip him and as he threw his ball and chain at her, she threw it back at him and chained him up.

She water whipped his mount and it wildly ran off, dragging its rider around as Sokka ran off to distract the yuyan archer.

Eira saw a man with a sword about to attack some villagers and she quickly threw him off and as the sword fell out of his hand, she sent it skittering across the floor, far away from him.

Eira struck the rhino and sent it charging across the street, the man's foot still lodged in the foot hold of the saddle and he was forcefully dragged away, his head bouncing across the floor.

Eira winced slightly as she saw his head slamming into the ground but a massive explosion distracted her.

She covered her face and the burning scent of gunpowder filled the air. Eira gagged slightly but then she saw Sokka happily hugging his boomerang next to the explosion, about to be shot at by the archer.

"Sokka! Look out!" She shouted and he quickly turned his head to see the archer aiming a flaming arrow at him. Sokka reacted quickly, sending the closest thing to him at the archer and in this case it was his dragon pipe.

The archer looked at his dragon pipe covered arrow in confusion as Sokka ran across to the other side of the street and Katara water whipped the saddle strap, sending him falling to the ground and with one more whip, the rhino was sent storming off.

They all looked around for more of the assailants but thankfully, it looked like they'd all gone.

"I think they're all gone." Sokka said, looking around and as the trio walked over to look for Aang, they managed to see him standing in front of the leader, who was smashed through a splintered wooden box. Yikes!

"Well, we should leave before I get told off for breaking out of prison." Eira said, turning around and walking off to find Appa. "Come on, the sooner we leave this town, the better."

Aang, Sokka and Katara all mumbled in agreement and began to walk off in the same direction and they all silently agreed to never return. EVER!

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**Next chapter: Eira meets Toph, what hi jinks will ensue?**

**Please review, favourite or follow!**


	6. Chapter 6-Toph Joins the Party

**This is my longest chapter so far. Over eight thousand words! I hope you like it.**

**To answer your question, guest (you don't have a username). You're story sounds amazing and I'd love to write it, but I'm planning for this story to have four books and as they will take another year or something including my exam revision so I won't be able to write it.**

**Please review. Your reviews and support keep me going!**

* * *

Chapter 6: Toph Joins the Party

* * *

Eira sighed impatiently as Sokka's eyes shifted back and forth from the green bag to Katara, Aang and Eira.

"Sokka, if you want the bag, buy the bag. If you don't, then don't." Eira complained.

"Well, it's pricey… but I really do like it." He said pensively and Eira groaned again. _Gosh!_

"Sokka, we have enough bags already, and it's expensive." She said, tapping her foot as she crossed her arms.

Aang lay back on the cobblestone floor, tipping his conical hat to shelter his face from the sun as Momo slept on his chest. To be honest, Eira wanted to get some rest as well. Sokka had been trying to decide whether or not he wanted that bag for ages.

Eira hitched her own bag up onto her shoulder as she looked around impatiently. A man was handing out some flyers behind them and being quite creepy about it, leaning close to little kids as he told them about it.

"Come on, Eira. He deserves something nice." Katara said, smiling lovingly at her brother even though Eira could see that she was becoming exasperated with his indecisiveness.

"I do, don't I?" Katara looked at him with a bored expression. "But no, it's too expensive. I shouldn't."

"Then don't!" Eira said bluntly. "Can we go now? If you've forgotten, we actually have something to do, i.e. getting Aang a teacher."

Katara and Eira began to walk off in boredom and Aang groggily got up from his napping spot and followed them. Sokka began to walk with them but then he stopped in his tracks as he looked back at the bag.

"You know what? I'm gonna get it." He said enthusiastically, smiling as he looked at the bag and paid the man.

Eira, Katara and Aang waited for him at the end of the street when the man who was distributing flyers walked up to them, handing one to them.

"Psst, psst! Hey, you kids love earthbending? You like… throwing rocks? Then check out Master Yu's Earthbending Academy."

Aang took the flyer and looked down at it curiously. Katara, Eira and Momo also began to look at it and Eira couldn't help but cringe at the poor quality of it. It was a bit… too flashy. Too obviously trying to sell.

Aang turned it around and smiled.

"Look! There's a coupon on the back! The first lesson is free." Aang exclaimed cheerfully.

"Who knows? This Mast Yu might be the earthbending teacher you've been looking for." Katara said but Eira was sceptical.

"I think Aang should try it, but I don't think we should be too hopeful, considering that he would have to pay for more lessons."

"Yeah, but I'm the Avatar. I'm sure they'd allow it this one time." Aang said optimistically. Eira shrugged.

"Probably."

Sokka came running up to them, his new green bag slung over his shoulder and he looked wonderingly at the flyer.

"Hey, what's that?" He asked.

"It's a voucher for a free earthbending lesson for Aang." Eira quickly explained.

"Then let's go!" Aang said excitedly, almost skipping off to the academy and Eira smiled. It was hard not to get swept up in his excitement. It was contagious.

They all walked calmly through the town and they managed to find the academy pretty quickly seeing as it was pretty big but it had the vibe of a school that only really cared about the money its students brought in, not the students themselves.

Eira never really liked those kinds of schools but she was never openly opposed to them. If they wanted to pay for an education, that's fine. Just as long as there is a free option close by.

Aang walked in slightly nervously as he handed the voucher to who looked like the teacher and then the man dragged him off inside the school for a uniform and an introduction.

After what Eira guessed to be half an hour, Aang and several other pupils around his age were taken out of the building and placed in front of several boulders.

The uniform they wore consisted of a plain green and cream tunic and green conical hat. Eira didn't really get why they were so popular but, then again, she wasn't really a hat person. Heck, if it wasn't for the fact she would stick out like a sore thumb without it, she would defiantly not be wearing her scarf.

Aang looked bored with the lesson and looked around, twitching but when he saw the other kids with their serious expressions he quickly straightened his back and took on a more serious expression.

Eira leaned against the wall with Katara, Sokka and Momo. One problem with

"Take your stances!" Master Yu said commandingly and all of the students began to take offensive poses, with the exception of Aang, who had absolutely no idea what to do.

Master Yu struck out his fist in front of him.

"Now, strike as if you're punching through your opponent's head!" He instructed and the students on the side with the boulders lifted them and shot them at the students opposite them.

The student in front of Aang threw the boulder at him and he was hit in the gut and smashed against the wall of the building as the force of the blow threw him across the courtyard.

_Ouch!_ Eira thought, wincing slightly. That was going to hurt. _I'm glad I'm not an earthbender. It looks even harder to do than airbending._

Aang sat up groggily, clutching his stomach as he did and Master Yu walked over to him, he looked down with a plastered smile on his face.

"So, are you ready to commit to more lessons?" He asked expectantly. "If you pay for the whole year in advance, I'll bump you up to the next belt!"

Aang just stared up at him, covered in sand, dust and shards of a pot he'd smashed into and as the teacher left, getting the message that Aang clearly didn't want to pay for more lessons and as Aang brushed the dust off him and got up, he trudged over to where they were sitting.

"Ehh, he's not the one." Aang said, tipping his head to the side to shake the sand out of his ear.

Eira stood up, as did Katara and Sokka, and she patted his back reassuringly.

"Hey, at least you know a little more about earthbending, right?" She asked but he nodded weakly. He was clearly not even sure he did learn even a little something.

"I know that rocks hurt when they're hurled at you." Aang said, smiling a bit easier.

"I think The Boulder's going to win back the belt at Earth Rumble VI." Eira's head twitched to the side as she heard some boys chatting to themselves as they walked out of the academy.

"He's going to have to fight his way through the best earthbenders in the world to get a shot at the champ."

Aang was also overhearing their conversation and he ran over to them curiously.

"Excuse me, but where is this earthbending tournament?" He asked as Eira, Sokka and Katara slowly walked over.

The two boys looked down arrogantly at Aang, as if wondering 'why is this kid talking to us' and Eira felt strangely reminded of some boys in her old school… and that wasn't a good comparison.

"It's on the island of Noneya… "Noneya" business!" One of the boys said sarcastically before they both burst into laughter and walked out.

"How long did it take you to think of that one?!" Eira called as they turned the corner. _Idiots._

"Oh, I got to remember that one!" Sokka said, laughing and wiping tears of laughter away. Eira glared at him but he was too caught up with trying to think of ways to use it.

Katara smiled motherly at Aang.

"I'll take care of this." She said consolingly to Aang before she began to run after them. "Hey, strong guys! Wait up!"

They waited for a few minutes and Sokka looked down at his bag and held it out, then he looked at Eira's bag.

"What was I thinking?" Sokka asked before turning angrily to Eira and Aang. "I don't need a new bag, Eira already had one! Why did you let me buy this?"

Eira crossed her arms in irritation.

"Maybe we just wanted to see you get buyer's remorse." She said sarcastically. Sokka dropped the bag on the floor and sat down grumpily, pouting and arms crossed over his chest.

Momo hopped off Aang's shoulder and curled up in the bag, starting to sleep. Eira was just about to make a comment about how at least Momo liked the bag but then Katara came running back, an odd smile on her face.

"You ready to find an earthbending teacher?" She asked. "Because we're going to Earth Rumble VI!"

Aang's eyes widened in surprise.

"How'd you get them to tell you?" He asked but Katara just smiled and gestured effeminately with her hand.

"Oh… a girl had he ways." She said vaguely and Eira laughed.

"Flirtation or beating them up?" Eira asked as Katara began to lead them in the direction of the tournament. Katara also laughed.

"I iced them to a wall so they would tell me." She explained. Eira smiled.

"I don't understand why anyone would choose flirtation over just icing people to walls." She said, shaking her head in disbelief.

They walked until it was starting to turn to nightfall and they arrived at an odd alley with green posters all around and lots of men and boys streaming into the building.

The atmosphere was similar to a wrestling match and Eira had to admit it was energising just being there.

They walked through a tunnel and as they walked out into the light, they saw a large rectangular arena in the centre of the room with a large pit surrounding it.

The seats/stairs started up from the other edge of the pit and they expanded backwards to the corners of the rooms with embedded steps forming spokes from the edge of the pit to the back of the room.

It was surprisingly well made but to Eira's distaste, Sokka decided to sit near the front and Eira couldn't help but notice how the other spectators had wisely decided to leave at least five or so rows empty… just for them… right.

"Hey, front row seats!" Aang said happily as he sat down cheerfully on a stone step. "I wonder why no one else is sitting here." He wondered as he looked around. Eira, Sokka and Katara sat down, Eira a little more nervous than normal and just as Aang finished his sentence, a large boulder flew at them and slammed into the area next to Sokka.

They all jumped backwards, away from the rock and they all exchanged nervous glances.

"I guess that's why." Sokka said, stuttering slightly.

"But we're not moving now." Eira grumbled as she saw the other rows filling up with a shocking speed. They weren't going to find better seats.

"Welcome to Earth Rumble VI!" A loud, booming voice rang out the stadium and they attention was turned to a tan, muscular man with long dark hair who was rising on a platform in the centre of the ring and after getting their attention, he levelled the platform to the ring.

"I am your host, Xin Fu!" he said, raising his arms to gather cheers from the crowd and both Eira and Katara sighed in frustration.

"Yep, no real tactics here. Just guys chucking rocks at each other." Eira complained.

"That's what I paid for." Sokka said happily, absolutely beaming. Eira rolled her eyes and shared a look with Katara. _Boys._

"If you just wanted to see guys chucking rocks at each other, you should and Aang should've stayed at the academy." Eira said resulting in Aang and Sokka looking unamused at her. Eira shrugged them off.

"The rules are simple." Xin Fu announced. "Just knock the other guy out of the ring and you win!" Xin Fu used earthbending to propel him up to a podium above the ring and a bell rang out from a place Eira couldn't properly locate.

"Round one: The Boulder vs. The Big Bad Hippo!" As Xin Fu talked, two men walked out into the ring, one was a man with thick features and a muscular body, obviously The Boulder, and as he walked further into the ring, he raised his arm to appreciate the cheers being given out by the crowd and opposite him, the Big Bad Hippo walked out.

He wasn't nearly as wrestler-looking as The Boulder. He looked a lot more like a sumo wrestler with a fat body, shapeless features and, sadly, just a pair of green shorts with some darker accessories on them. Also, unlike The Boulder, he simply roared at the crowd, revealing his four large molars.

_I thought they called him The Hippo just because he was fat._ Eira thought, slightly surprised.

The Boulder pointed accusingly at The Hippo.

"Listen up, Hippo. You may be big, but you ain't bad!" He grinned insanely and Eira tried to hold in laughter. His voice was even more ridiculous in real life. "The Boulder's gonna win this in a landslide!" He boasted but The Hippo roared again in response.

"Hippo… mad!" He grunted as he raised his arms in anger and slammed his foot to the floor. The ring shook with the force of the slam and The Boulder began to shoot three rocks at him but they shattered against The Hippo's bulk and he even caught one between his four molars and crushed it.

He spat it out and began to jump up and down, his sheer size and weight, as well as his earthbending, causing the ring to sway and tilt. The Boulder looked down in disbelief and began to rock, losing his balance.

"Unbelievable, ladies and gentlemen! The Hippo is rocking the boat!" By the way the crowd cheered "rocking the boat" must be some kind of special move, like the pile driver or whatever in wrestling.

Eira rested her chin and her hand as she continued to watch the fight, bored. It was strange how two men earthbending at each other could be so… strangely boring. Unlike many other fights Eira had witnessed and taken part in, this lacked the awe Eira usually had for the art.

As Eira thought, The Boulder had earthbent the area under The Hippo and used it to throw him out of the ring, sending him flying into the ditch around the arena.

The crowd cheered and whooped at The Boulder's victory and The Boulder raised his fist in the air proudly, resulting in an eye roll from Eira.

"The Boulder wins!" Xin Fu announced and Eira looked at Katara, Sokka and Aang. Katara had been watching the match with an analytical eye, looking for an appropriate earthbender for Aang, in a stark contrast the boys' wide-eyed excitement,

"How about The Boulder?" Katara asked, looking at Aang. "He's got some good moves." Aang shrugged unsurely.

"I don't know. Bumi said I need a teacher who listens to the earth. He's just listening to his big muscles." He explained.

"I have to agree with you there. There's practically no real form to his movements. He's almost literally just throwing rocks." Eira commented. "What do you think, Sokka?" Eira asked, looking across Aang to see Sokka cheering loudly and _whoop_-ing with the rest of the crowd.

"Next match… The Boulder versus Fire Nation Man!" Xin Fu told the crowd as an overweight man in a Fire Nation outfit walked on to the stage, waving a Fire Nation flag as he did.

The stadium was filling with boos as people began to throw things at the man and Sokka stood up and loudly booed him, giving him a thumbs down as he did.

The "Fire Nation Man" turned to the people in the seats and began to speak, setting up his flag.

"Please do rise for Fire Nation national anthem." He instructed in a pseudo-Russian accent and Eira was thoroughly confused. First of all, why did he have a Russian accent if he was supposed to be from the Fire Nation and, secondly, how was there a Russian accent in a world with no Russia!?

He put his hand over his heart and looked up at the ceiling. "Fire Lord, my flame burns for thee!" He warbily sang as he dropped to his knee and raised his arm.

Sokka picked up a loose rock and readied to throw it, following the example of the other people in the crowd.

"Go back to the Fire Nation!" He yelled, throwing it at the man and hitting him on the head.

"Sokka." Eira hissed, reaching over Aang to pull him back down. "He's not _really_ from the Fire Nation. It's just a propaganda stunt. To show the strong, brave earthbender overcoming the weak, stupid firebender." She explained. "It's just a confidence boost to the Earth Kingdom citizens."

Sokka's face fell as he looked back to the fight, where The Boulder was slamming his weight onto the ground and creating a pillar of earth to forcefully throw the man out of the ring, down into the pit.

"So, it's staged...?" He asked in disappointment but Eira shook her head,

"Not entirely. This fight is, but I'm pretty sure the others weren't as it is a tournament."

The smile on Sokka's face returned widely and with his enthusiasm restored, he anxiously waited for the next match to be announced.

"Yeah! Woooo! The Boulder knows how to put the hurt in the dirt! Yeah! Woooo!" He yelled happily.

The fights continued to go on and on, The Boulder winning every fight he was in and the pile of his "victims" in the pit starting to build up but Aang still didn't see an earthbender suitable to be a teacher and Eira knew that his teacher wasn't going to show up until the very end.

After a while, Eira's eyes began to unfocus and the fights were passing in a blur but Eira's eyes snapped back into focus when the lights began to dim and Xin Fu began to rise on his platform.

"Now, the moment you've all been waiting for." He said ominously and Eira smiled. It actually _was_ the moment she was waiting for. She could finally see Toph in action in real life.

"The Boulder versus!" He started and then he gestured towards the other side of the stage, revealing a small girl who was mainly obstructed by her massive green belt and mop of black hair that covered a lot of her face.

"Your champion… the Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu shouted and Toph raised her belt higher over her head, taking in the loud cheers of the crowd with a blank expression on her face.

Two women walked up to her and they took her belt and cape to give to the winner at the end, Eira assumed.

Seeing her eyes, even from a distance, was interesting to see from a distance away. Eira couldn't exactly tell what they looked like clearly, but they looked almost foggy. _I wonder what caused her to be blind._ Eira wondered though she had no idea about what caused blindness at birth. Medical things weren't her forte.

"She can't really be blind." Katara stated sceptically, squinting her eyes at Toph to see if there was anything that hinted at an act. "It's just part of her character, right?"

Aang looked thoughtfully down at her.

"I think she is." Aang said in hushed amazement.

"Well, I think she is…" He deadpanned but then he gestured downwards with his thumbs. "Going down!" He shouted in excitement.

"Aang, since I can't really reach, can you punch Sokka for me?" Eira asked, leaning backwards.

"Hey!" Sokka exclaimed in indignation.

"Just be quiet and watch the match." Katara scolded sharply.

Eira and Sokka both sat straighter in their seats and looked forwards at the ring.

"The Boulder feels conflicted about fighting a young blind girl." The Boulder said, clearly trying to gain more support from the crowd.

Good thing it doesn't matter with Toph, though.

Toph pointed at The Boulder mockingly.

"Sounds to me like you're scared, Boulder." Toph taunted, pulling a mockingly scared position and The Boulder looked stunned.

"The Boulder's over his conflicted feelings, and now he's ready to bury you," He said, flexing his arms in a dramatic gesture. "in a rock-alanche!"

Toph smiled arrogantly.

"Whenever you're ready, The Pebble!" She taunted again, throwing her head back and laughing loudly.

As she laughed, Aang's eyes widened and he gasped slightly as something clicked in his head.

"Aang?" Eira asked quietly and he was shaken out of his daze. He shook his head to clear his mind and smiled reassuringly at Eira.

"I think she's the girl from my vision." He said in realisation, looking down at the ring intensely, not wanting to miss anything.

"It's on!" The Boulder yelled and they both faced each other off and with a loud roar, The Boulder slammed his foot down on the earth, clearly preparing for something spectacular and Toph shifted her weight, sliding her foot over the earth and The Boulder raised his next foot but Toph kicked her foot at the ground, moving impossibly fast and the earth caught The Boulder's foot and his foot slipped, sending him into a full split.

The entire crowd winced and Eira couldn't blame them. _Ouch._

The Boulder howled in pain but Toph wasn't sympathetic. She moved her hand swiftly through the air, as if batting something away and three large spires of earth shot out at The Boulder and sent him flying into a wall, allowing him to fall backwards down into the ditch.

Toph smiled slyly and span around victoriously, raising her arms proudly.

"You're winner, and still the champion, the Blind Bandit!" Xin Fu declared, leaving the crowd in complete awe.

"How did she do that?" Katara asked, clearly shocked. Eira smiled knowingly as Aang looked at Katara.

"She waited… and listened." He said, looking down at Toph who was about to be handed her belt back by Xin Fu but instead, he held up a small brown bag.

"To make things a little more interesting, I'm offering up this sack of golf pieces to anyone who can defeat the Blind Bandit." He offered, motioning towards Toph but he was met with nothing but silence.

He looked around, irritated at the lack of reaction.

"What? No one dares to face her?"

Aang stood up and smiled.

"I will!" He stated happily and the look of disappointment on Xin Fu's face was clear. He was clearly hoping for a more exciting opponent.

Aang walked down to the ring and murmurs began to break out in the audience as he closed the distance between the two of them.

"Go, Aang!" Sokka yelled encouragingly. "Avenge The Boulder!" he added.

"Do people really want to see _two_ little girls fighting out here?" Toph mocked but Aang was unfazed.

The crowd _oooh_ed but Aang held up his hands in a peaceful gesture.

"I don't really want to fight you. I want to talk to you." He admitted.

"Boo! No talking!" Sokka booed, resulting in death glares from Eira and Katara.

Eira punched him in the arm.

"Don't boo Aang." She scolded.

As Aang took a step, Toph smiled and stomped the ground, causing a large rock to fire out of the air and launched Aang into the air and he used his airbending to float down like a leaf.

He landed softly on the ground behind Toph and Toph's frustration at not being to properly see him and she frowned.

"Someone's a little light on his feet! What's your fighting name? The Fancy Dancer?" She asked mockingly and Aang sheepishly smiled, leaving Toph an opening to launch another pillar under his feet and sending him flying into the air once more.

"Where'd you go?" Toph asked in frustration and as Aang landed softly on the ground he waved his hands in protest.

"Please, wait!" He said hurriedly but Toph smiled.

"There you are!" She span around and threw a massive rock at him but he managed to stop it with airbending but the air blast blew around the rock and blasted Toph backwards out into the ditch.

There was a moment of shock from the crowd as everyone tried to figure out what had exactly happened. Aang had beaten their champion, that's what everyone was concerned about, but Eira was watching Toph storm out of the ring as Aang tried to reason with her.

"Wait!" Aang cried but Toph walked through an opening and slammed it shut behind her.

Aang looked sorrowfully at the now-closed doorway as Sokka, Katara and Eira ran down to the ring. Sokka quickly took the belt and bag f money from Xin Fu and the crowd was cheering loudly, but Eira and Katara looked concerned at Aang.

For all he knew, he had just lost his teacher.

"Way to go, champ!" Sokka said cheerfully, wrapping an arm around Aang's shoulder as he grinned, not reading the mood. Like always.

"Don't worry, Aang. We'll find her." Eira whispered reassuringly, after all, she _knew_ they were going to find her.

o.O.o

After deciding that it was too dark to properly search for the Blind Bandit as it was already night time by the time they managed to leave the arena, they spent the night in a small hotel of sorts and decided to spend the next day searching.

"I've got to admit it, now, I'm really glad I bought his bag, It matches the belt perfectly." Sokka said in relief as he looked down at the green metal belt wrapped around his waist as they walked over to the Earthbending Academy.

"That's a great relief." Katara said sarcastically.

"Then, maybe, we don't have to waste our limited money on accessories from now on." Eira added. Sokka frowned.

"Hey, we won the money as well, in case you've forgotten." He pouted.

"But if we want to find the Blind Bandit, the Earthbending Academy is a great place to start." Aang said, looking into the courtyard of the academy for anyone who might have some information.

To the left of the courtyard, the two boys from the other day were practicing their earthbending by jabbing their hands into pots of sand-yeah, Eira didn't exactly understand how that worked either- and as they approached them, the boys looked up and rolled their eyes.

"Oh, great, you again." One of them complained but Katara glared at them and they backed off. Eira and Sokka smiled.

"Nicely done." Sokka said smugly.

The other boy looked at Aang and he looked at him with realisation.

"Hey! You're the kid who beat the Blind Bandit!" He exclaimed. Aang nodded.

"We need to talk to her. Do you guys know where she lives?" Aang asked hopefully but they shook their heads.

"The Blind Bandit's a mystery." One of them said, raising their fist dramatically. "She turns up to fight, then disappears."

"Helpful." Eira commented sarcastically. "But, do you know of any families with a blind daughter?" She asked.

He stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Nope."

Aang looked to the floor, then back up.

"Wait, the girl I saw in my vision was in a white dress, with a flying boar." Aang described. "Do you know anyone like that?"

"Well, a flying boar is the symbol of the Beifong Family. They're the richest people in town. Probably the whole Earth Kingdom." He explained. _Well, since the Earth King exists, I doubt it._ Eira thought.

"Yeah, but they don't have a daughter." The other one added.

Aang smiled anyway.

"A flying boar is good enough for me." He said. "Thanks."

They turned to leave but Eira couldn't help but hear one of them whisper.

"Yeah, you better leave." Eira smirked. _They're still acting confident, even when they're scared and got iced to a wall by Katara._

"Hey, I got my eye on you." Katara said intimidatingly, turning around and pointing at them as she walked out.

"Water Tribe." Sokka said quietly as he turned around coolly and waked out of the courtyard. Eira sniggered and hit him in the arm a bit more softly than normal as she actually thought it was funny.

"Smooth, Sokka." She commented as they walked through the street. "So, does anyone know where the Beifong's live?" Eira asked.

"Well… they said they were the richest in town, so we should just look for a big house or something." Aang said, as if just that second planning how they were going to find it.

"Or we could just ask someone." Katara added, jabbing her thumb behind her at the several groups of people mulling about their daily business.

"That works too." Aang said cheerfully, walking over to a group of women talking together. He talked to them for a minute or so and then when he walked back, smiling.

"The Beifong estate is just a couple of minutes away in that direction." Aang informed them, pointing to their right.

"Great!" Sokka said and they all walked quickly down to the _massive_ house at the end of the street. Eira had never seen a house so big. It was a mansion with a huge wall around it. The gate was made of a smooth wood and a symbol of a golden flying boar was emblazoned on the top of it.

"Wow… they _are_ rich." Sokka commented in awe as they walked up to the tall gates.

As they did, they stopped in front of it awkwardly. Aang turned to them.

"So, uh, who wants to knock?" he asked.

"But who says they'll let us in?" Eira asked. "I know you're the Avatar Aang but we can't just charge into a home and demand that they let us see their daughter and take her away into a live on the road, constantly being chased by people wanting to kill us."

His face fell, then he smiled.

"Then we can go another way." He said, using his airbending to propel them all up into the air, over the wall. Sokka and Katara landed hard in some bushes but Eira and Aang managed to use their airbending to land a bit softer.

Aang looked around as Eira went to help Katara and Sokka up but as she was helping Katara, she heard a voice speak up and she turned around to see a girl in a white dress and neat black hair. It was beyond weird to see Toph look like that.

"What are you going here, Twinkle Toes?" She demanded, her attention on Aang.

"How did you know it was me?" Aang asked innocently in shock.

"Don't answer to Twinkle Toes!" Sokka exclaimed. "It's not manly!" Eira rolled her eyes.

"Says the guy who wasted all our time picking out a bag and acting glad that "matches the belt"." Eira commented.

"How did you find me?"

"Well, a crazy kind told me I had to find an earthbender who listens to the earth. And then I had a vision in a magic swamp." Aang began to explain but as Toph raised an eyebrow in disbelief, Eira stepped in front of him.

"I think what's Aang's trying to say is that when we saw you at the tournament, he was really impressed with your bending and thought that you'd be perfect to teach him earthbending, Toph." Eira explained.

"Wait, how do you know my name?" She asked sharply and Eira paled and blushed somehow at the same time. _Cachu! Cachu! Cachu!_ Eira swore mentally as she tried to think of an excuse. Dammit! Why did she call Toph by her name before she said it?!

"I overheard it." Eira quickly lied. "But you're the perfect teacher for Aang, you're an incredible earthbender."

Toph eyes narrowed in suspicion as she could clearly tell Eira was lying and she shook her head stubbornly.

"I don't teach." She said bluntly. "Now get out of here, or I'll call the guards." She said dismissively, walking off.

"Look, we all have to do our part to win this war, and yours is to teach Aang earthbending." Sokka said strongly.

"Guards! Guards, help!" Toph cried, putting on a false tone of panic and Eira's feet turned cold in panic. _What?!_

Eira, Sokka, Aang and Katara dived into the thankfully-large bushes and managed to hide themselves before the guards ran onto the scene.

"Toph, what happened?" One of the guards asked as Eira tried to ignore the several itchy, sharp branches stabbing her body.

"I-I… thought I heard someone. I got scared." Toph said timidly and Eira couldn't help but think that that voice on Toph sounded so wrong. She wasn't a timid rich girl, she was awesome.

"You know your father doesn't want you wandering the grounds without supervision, Toph." The guard said softly.

There were sounds of walking and after they faded away, they burst out of the bush.

"Well… that failed." Eira muttered as she brushed the leaves and dirt off her clothes.

"Yeah, how are we going to get her now?" Sokka asked.

"How about we ask?" Aang asked, shrugging.

o.O.o

Then, the next thing Eira knew, she was sitting around a table with Loa and Poppy Beifong as well as Toph and her teacher and because life hated her, Aang, Katara and Sokka got to sit on one side of the table but, no. Eira had to sit on the other side with Toph and her teacher because there wasn't enough room on the "guest" side.

Just perfect.

Eira looked nervously at the soup on the table in front of her and tried to sit up straighter. Having Poppy and Lao present made her feel like she was sitting in front of the Queen, and the food she had to eat was spaghetti bolognaise! (Seriously, who can eat that cleanly and politely?)

Sokka, on the other hand, was unaffected by it and was devouring his food. A servant brought over a bowl of soup and placed it in front of Toph.

Lao instantly frowned and turned to the servant.

"Blow on it. It's too hot for her." He ordered but Aang took this as an opportunity to impress them.

"Allow me." He said politely, sending a small swirling tornado of air at her soup and it blew away the steam.

Everyone at the table clapped but Toph looked annoyed.

Now Eira was closer, she could now see that her eyes were actually green, just foggy. She'd always though they were some sort of light blue when watching the show.

"Avatar Aang, it's an honour to have you visit us." Poppy said gratefully.

"In your opinion, how much longer do you think the war will last?" Lao asked. Aang looked around thoughtfully.

"Well, I'd like to defeat the Fire Lord by the end of summer, but I can't do that without finding an earthbending teacher first." He explained, looking at Toph to try and give a hint to her parents.

They did not get it.

"Well, Master Yu is the finest teacher in the land." Lao said, chuckling as he gestured to Yu. "He's been teaching Toph since she was little."

Master Yu sat up straighter at the compliment but Aang looked enthusiastically at the Beifongs.

"Then she must be a great earthbender!" He said excitedly. "Probably good enough to teach someone else!" He looked like he was going to continue but his chair rocked and he yelped in pain suddenly.

Eira looked at Toph but she continued to eat her soup quietly. There was a silence for a while but then Lao looked back to Aang.

"Toph is still learning the basics." Yu added.

"Yes, and sadly because of her blindness, I don't think she will ever become a true master." Lao said sadly.

"But, wouldn't it help her?" Eira asked. _Might as well at least try to help her parents understand._

Lao, Poppy and Yu turned to look at her, confused.

"What do you mean by that?" Lao asked.

"If she's an earthbender, and a good one, wouldn't it be helpful for her to learn to "see" with and manipulate the ground she stood on. It could help her get around better and become a better earthbender." Eira explained, trying to make it seem like Toph _wasn't_ already doing that so she wouldn't get in trouble with her parents.

Master Yu shook his head.

"Unfortunately, that is not the case, young lady. While that would be the dream, there hasn't been a recorded incident of earthbenders, "seeing" with their earthbending." He informed.

"But I'm sure she could. I bet she's already-" Aang began but he was flung forwards into his soup.

Everyone stopped eating as they looked at Aang pick himself up from his soup and he glared at Toph but then his nose began to twitch.

_Oh no._ Eira thought quickly as she flung up her arms defensively as Aang sneezed, sending all of the table contents flying and, sadly, as Eira defended herself, she put a bit too much power into it and a large gust of air sent them flying into all of the walls.

Eira blushed in embarrassment as she looked around the room and the now not-so-neat walls that she had managed to ruin and Toph jumped up angrily from her chair.

"What's your problem?!" She demanded angrily.

"What's _your_ problem?!" Aang asked equally angry as he also jumped up from his seat.

Lao and Poppy wiped their faces with their napkins and Poppy looked around with a forced patience.

"Well, shall we move to the living room for desert, then?" She asked formally, clearly trying to cover her annoyance with their destroying of the room.

"Yes, let's do that." Lao agreed, getting up and walking out, his wife closely following behind.

o.O.o

The Beifong's had decided to give them a place to rest for the night and Eira had decided to take a walk in the garden seeing as her attempts to subtly tell Poppy and Lao that their daughter was a great earthbender where failing.

She had never seen parents so blind with their over-protectiveness but Eira could tell that it was Lao who most of it was lying on but also that it was out of genuine care for their daughter.

Eira used her airbending to jump up onto the roof of the mansion and she looked up at the stars curiously.

Lately, she'd been trying to see if there were any constellations she could form in her mind but with the lack of light pollution in this world, the sky was a formless pattern of stars. Beautiful and chaotic.

Eira sighed. Was she never going to convince anyone in this world of anything, really? She couldn't help but think that her presence in this world wasn't really amounting to anything.

Even as the only female airbender in this world, it wasn't really making a difference as so far, her airbending was only good at enhancing her physical movements. A jump. A punch. None of the "manipulating the air currents" things that Aang could do with ease.

_You did save Yue._ A little voice in her head reminded her. Eira smiled. She had managed to save a life. That was something. Eira remembered the dream she had had in the North Pole and grimaced. There were a lot more lives that needed saving. She would stop Long Feng from killing Jet, the sandbenders from taking Appa and if she could, she'd stop Azula from infiltrating Ba Sing Se.

Eira laughed quietly. Oh, if only she could do all of that. Most of their problems would be solved before they even began. But then again, knowing her BS luck, she'd end up creating even more problems.

Eira looked around at the garden and saw Toph and Aang walking on the bridge and chatting.

Toph was such a strong person. At only twelve she was a master of her art and she managed to do it without her family even knowing. Eira had always thought Toph was one of the most badass characters in an animated TV show and she deserved the title.

But as Eira looked at them, she saw Toph drop to her knees and place a hand on the ground.

"It's an ambush!" Toph yelled and Eira's eyes widened as they began to run across the garden, Toph dragging Aang but then a dirt tunnel surrounded them and the weird gecko wrestler-earthbender guy jumped out of it as well as the other earthbenders Toph had beaten.

But before Eira could react, two large metal cages slammed themselves on top of them and The Hippo jumped up and down of them, completely trapping them.

"Hey!" Eira called out. "Stop!" Eira jumped down from the roof and grabbed her staff. She slashed it at them and managed to throw The Gecko across the garden and slam into a wall but she was hopelessly outnumbered and outmatched as the ground underneath her shot up, sending her flying into the air and then a boulder slammed into her chest and sent her crashing into the floor.

"Eira!" She heard Aang cry out but her eyesight was fading into black.

"I think you kids owe me some money." Xin Fu said menacingly and Eira completely lost consciousness.

Next thing she knew she was being shaken awake by Katara.

"Eira! Eira, what happened?"

Eira's eyes flickered open and she was thankful to see it was still night and she was still in the garden but then she saw the boxes were gone, along with Aang and Toph.

"No, no, no, no, no." Eira stuttered. "X-Xin Fu, and the other earthbenders. They took Toph and Aang." She said in horror as she staggered up and saw that Sokka was looking at a small scroll with a a knife stabbed through it.

Eira heard Poppy and Lao gasp in horror as Sokka took the scroll off the knife and handed it to Katara.

"If you wanted to see your daughter again, bring five hundred gold pieces to the arena." Katara read out. "Eira's right, it's signed Xin Fu and The Boulder."

Sokka reached out and grabbed the note back.

"I can't believe it…" He said seriously as he looked down at it. "I have The Boulder's autograph!" he said, dramatically holding it above his head.

Eira glared at him in annoyance as Poppy wiped the tears out of her eyes.

Lao looked at his wife sadly and turned to Master Yu.

"Master Yu, I need you to help me get my daughter back." He said.

"We're going with you." Katara said, looking at the note in Sokka's hands worriedly.

"Poor Toph, she must be so scared." Poppy choked out and Eira looked sympathetically at her.

"Your daughter's stronger than you think. I'm sure she's fine." She said.

o.O.o

After the Beifong's got their money prepared and Eira retrieved the money from Sokka's bag and took it in her own, just in case, they used an ostrich-pulled carriage to take them quickly to the arena.

They entered cautiously and they were greeted with the scene of all of the earthbenders and Xin Fu standing on the lit up ring with two metal boxes hanging from the ceiling.

"Toph!" Lao cried as he saw her and Sokka's eyes narrowed as he set the bag of gold on the ground.

"Here's your money." He said sharply. "Now let them go." He demanded as Master Yu earthbent the money across the ring and down to Xin Fu.

Xin Fu slowly picked up the bag and looked inside and when he saw it was the money, he gestured for Toph's box to be let down and released.

Toph fell out from her box and Toph ran over to Lao. Eira looked up at Aang, still in his cage.

"What about Aang?" Eira asked, crossing her eyes.

Xin Fu grinned as he showed them a Fire Nation wanted poster.

"I think the Fire Nation will pay a hefty price for the Avatar. Now, get out of my ring!" He ordered.

"How dare you!" Eira shouted in disgust. "You're betraying your nation and the world. How could you?" Eira asked, charging forwards but Katara and Sokka held her back.

"Eira, don't!" Aang called from inside his box. "I'll be okay!"

Eira looked up at him.

"No, you won't if you're sold to the Fire Nation."

Xin Fu looked almost amused at Eira's anger.

"Toph, there's too many of them." Katara said as Toph and her family began to walk away. "We need an earthbender, we need you!"

Lao turned around indignantly.

"My daughter is blind. She is blind and tiny and helpless and fragile. She cannot help you!" he insisted.

"Your daughter is powerful, strong and an excellent earthbender." Eira shot back. "You're only seeing what you think she is, not what she actually is."

Lao looked down at his daughter and began to escort her away but Toph pulled away from him.

"She's right. I _can_ help them," Toph said confidently, walking back to the ring.

The earthbenders were preparing to go, The Boulder holding Aang's box over his shoulder, but Toph bent the edges of the ring to stop them from leaving.

"Let him go!" Toph said loudly. "I beat you all before and I'll do it again!"

"The Boulder takes issue with that comment." The Boulder said indignantly as he threw Aang's cage to the side.

Eira, Katara and Sokka began to move forwards to help but Toph help out her hand to stop them.

"Wait! They're mine." She said, smiling as she said the last part.

Toph shook the ring up and the earthbenders began to lose their balance and as Toph walked up to the fake Fire Nation guy and she dodged the wave of earth he sent at her and she bent her own wave to earth at him and threw him out of the ring and into the stands where a horrified Lao and Yu were sitting.

Eira, Katara and Sokka ran over to Aang's cage and tried to break it open, Sokka constantly banging a rock against his cage.

"Hit it harder!" Aang said panicking.

"I'm trying!" Sokka said, trying to hit it harder as Eira punched the air behind her and sent the Gecko flying into Toph's range and was sent flying into the stands as well.

Sokka slammed the rock on the lock on last time and it completely shattered.

Eira and Katara pulled the cage open and Aang jumped out to see that Toph had just completely wiped out the ring and all of the earthbenders were collapsed in a pile.

"Wow." Eira gasped. She was unbelievably powerful. "Toph, you're amazing."

Toph smiled.

"Thanks."

o.O.o

They all returned to the Beifong estate and they were currently watching Toph confront her parents.

"Dad, I know it's probably hard for you to see me this way, but the obedient little blind girl you think I am just isn't me." She said determinedly. "I love fighting. I love being and earthbender, and I'm really good at it. I know I've kept my life secret from you but you were keeping me secret from the whole world. I know you were doing it to protect me, but I'm twelve and I've never had a real friend. " She protested.

"So, now that you see who I really am, I hope it doesn't change the way you feel about me."

Lao looked down at Toph and then at his wife.

"Of course it doesn't change the way I feel about you, Toph. It's just made me realise something." Toph looked up at her father happily.

"It has?" She said.

"Yes, I've let you have far too much freedom. From now on you'll be cared for and guarded twenty-four hours a day." Lao said strictly. _What? Twenty-four hours a day?!_ Eira thought in shock.

"But, dad!" Toph started but Poppy stopped her.

"We're doing this for your own good, Toph." Poppy said, trying to be good cop.

"Please escort the Avatar and his friends out. They are no longer welcome here." Lao ordered his servants and they began to walk out. Aang looked sadly back at Toph.

"I'm sorry, Toph." He said quietly as Eira walked out of the door.

"I'm sorry too. Goodbye, Aang." She said back and they all moved to outside where Appa was resting.

"Don't worry, we'll find you a teacher. There are plenty of amazing earthbenders out there." Katara said reassuringly.

"Not like her." Aang said quietly, jumping up onto Appa as Eira, Sokka and Katara climbed up onto the saddle.

Sokka began to look at the green metal belt and began to polish it as Eira looked back at the house. Toph should be arriving soon and she wasn't disappointed as Toph was running towards them, bag in hand.

"Toph! What are you doing here?" Aang asked in surprise.

"My dad changed his mind. He said I was free to travel the world." She explained, clearly lying but they were going to take it.

"Then we should be leaving before he changes his mind again." Eira said.

"Good idea." Toph said, preparing to get on Appa.

"You're going to be a great teacher, Toph." Aang said gratefully and Toph stopped, as if thinking of something.

"Speaking of which, I want to show you something." She said and Aang naively jumped down.

"Okay." And as his feet touched the ground, a rock sent him flying into a tree.

"Now we're even." She said, then she held out her hand expectantly to Sokka. "Um, I'll take the belt back." She said and as he tossed the belt down it hit her in the head and knocked her down.

"Ow."

"Sorry." Sokka apologised as Aang fell down from the tree and Eira couldn't help but laugh.

"Come on, guys. We better get going." Eira said and Aang threw Toph onto the saddle and took the reins.

"Appa, yip yip!" He said, flicking the reins and they flew up in the air, content with their successes.

Eira leaned over to Toph as Appa flew. She was clearly not used to flying.

"Don't worry, flying gets better after a while."

"I doubt it." Toph said and Eira paused as she thought about what she was going to say next.

"By the way, I know your father didn't change his mind, but I'm glad you did." Eira whispered and was rewarded with a small smile from Toph.

Eira couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.

* * *

**Toph's here! Boo-yeah! This will be fun!**

**Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7- The Chase

**Full version finally posted! Yay! **

**Hope you enjoy it and please review!**

* * *

Chapter 7: The Chase

* * *

As Eira walked through the forestry surrounding their campfire, a bundle of twig and sticks in her hands in her attempt to collect firewood, she couldn't help but feeling homesick. If she closed her eyes, she'd feel like she was in Wales.

In a lot of ways, the Earth Kingdom reminded her of Wales... if she ignored the corrupt government in war, bending and general Chinese-_esque_ setting... Basically it was just the natural feel that reminded her of Wales.

Eira reached down and collected some more twigs off the floor and then looked at the bundle in her arms. It looked like enough, not that Eira exactly knew what enough was.

Despite the fact she'd been living on the run and camping for at least four or so months now she still had little to no camping or survival skills except knowing how to run away from fire-throwing maniacs or knowing how to annoy those fire-throwing maniacs.

She almost wished that she'd gone on those hiking/camping trips with her grandpa and cousins.

Eira turned around and began to walk back to their campsites, absent-mindedly thinking about how she'd been missing months of her favourite TV shows and how if... no, _when_, she got back home she'd have to catch up but when she got back she stopped in her tracks for many reasons.

Firstly she saw Aang on the floor covered in Appa's fur with Katara, Sokka and Toph laughing at him and she couldn't help but laugh at the absurdity as Sokka was wearing a bad looking wig made of Appa's fur and Toph was in a similar situation with fur stuffed down her sleeves.

But then it hit her and her mind flashed forwards to the episode, "The Chase". Oh yay... this was going to be fun.

Azula, sleep-deprivation, high tension and arguing. She didn't want that to happen.

Eira then went onto prevention damage control. She had already managed to save Yue. She could and **was** going to help her friends. And, to be honest, she didn't want to go through all of the tired-induced stress and bickering.

Recomposing herself, she smiled and walked over to them and as Katara noticed her, she smiled and waved.

"Hey, Eira. Thanks for collecting the firewood." She said and Eira smiled.

"_Croeso_, Katara. I was thinking of cooking soon, so could you help get the tents up?" Eira suggested then a thought clicked in her head again as she looked at the carpet of Appa's fur around their feet.

"And, Aang?" Eira started. "Could you, maybe, wash Appa? I'm just a little worried about his shedding. Even though we haven't run into Zuko in a while, but anyone could track us if Appa's fur leaves a trail. You know, just in case. This peace won't last knowing our luck."

Aang looked puzzled at the fur blanketing the ground, then up at Appa before nodding in understanding.

"Sure," He said and then he smiled widely. "Come on buddy, time for a bath." Aang began to lead Appa into the forest and probably to the little stream close by that they were going to use so Katara and Aang could practice waterbending but if the night went like how Eira thought it would, they weren't going to be able to use it.

Eira turned to the small fire pit that they'd made and began to set up the firewood as Sokka and Katara began to set up the tents… and Toph had settled away from them, resting on a rock.

Eira frowned. It wasn't that she was annoyed that Toph wasn't doing any work, to be honest with the four of them they didn't exactly require Toph to do anything, but she was worried about how distant she was.

Sure, she was enjoying her newfound independence but Eira wasn't exactly sure she knew that independent didn't mean that she had to refuse to accept help or never give it.

As Eira got out the things for cooking, she realised that she didn't really know what Toph liked to eat. They didn't really go into much detail like that in the show except that Sokka was practically a carnivore and Aang was a vegetarian.

She didn't want to alienate her more by forcing her to eat something she hated or push her away because she wouldn't eat with them.

Eira got up from the fire pit and walked over to Toph, trying to put a welcoming smile on her face.

"Hi, Toph." She said, also trying to sound happy but Toph merely grunted in response. "Um, okay, so I was wondering, since I'm just about to start cooking, what you like to eat or if you really don't like certain things and stuff."

Toph waved her hand casually, brushing off Eira's concern.

"No need. I've got my own food."

"Well, yeah, but that won't last forever so I'd still like to know." Eira insisted.

"Why? I can get my own food. You don't need to help me." Toph said, puzzled and slightly defensive.

"Yes but it'd be nice for you to eat with us at least once during the time we're travelling together and I'd like to know, just in case." Eira repeated stubbornly.

"Is everything okay?" Eira turned around and saw Katara looking slightly annoyed at Toph and Eira's heartbeat raised slightly.

"Yeah, yeah. It's fine. I was just asking Toph what food she likes seeing as I'm just about to cook." Eira explained quickly but even she noticed it was a bit _too_ quick.

Katara crossed her arms and looked between Eira and Toph.

"Are you sure?" She asked slowly, clearly suspicious.

"Yep. So, what do you like, Toph?" Eira asked again, looking over at Toph. The both had a silent battle of will but Toph relented, not bothered to continue on the topic.

"I'll eat anything as long as it's not your wussy vegetarian stuff." She mumbled lazily and despite the lack-lustre deli every, Eira chalked it up as a victory. Even if said victory took far longer than it really needed.

"Thank you, Toph." Eira said politely before turning back and heading over the fire pit and was relieved to see that Toph and Katara didn't really argue after she left from what it looked like.

o.O.o

As they all ate and talked, Eira tried not to worry about the quickly setting sun and tried not to worry about the little yawns from her teammates every once in a while... only to fail. She didn't worry as much about Toph just taking her plate over to her corner and not joining in on their conversation but Eira could tell that it _was_ bothering Katara, which could be a problem.

"Come on everyone. I think we should get some sleep now." Eira said, somewhat cheerily.

Sokka looked at her weirdly then looked up at the sunset sky which was tinted red, purple and blue from the setting sun and the clouds looked like a mix of pink and yellow from the light. _Red sky at night, Sheppard's delight._ Eira thought, the memory of her father telling her that little rhyme triggering in her head. _Let's hope it's also our delight too._

"Why now? Isn't it too early?" Sokka asked. Eira looked up at the sky as well and he was at least slightly right. They didn't really go to sleep usually until nightfall but...

"Well, I was just thinking that we should all get a little bit more rest than usual. We were up and flying quite early this morning." Eira explained, hoping they rolled with it.

"Yeah, you all do seem pretty tired." Toph added, rather unhelpfully from her corner of the campsite.

"I think she meant all of us." Katara corrected, her tone slightly annoyed.

"I think some extra sleep would be nice." Aang said, lying next to Appa, his voice sleepy as he yawned. "Good night everyone."

Toph taking no time to agree with Aang she erected an earth tent around herself and shut it around herself.

Katara looked irritated but she didn't say anything about it as they all retrieved their sleeping bags from Appa's saddle and quickly closed their eyes, appreciating the extra sleep.

Eira got to sleep a lot sooner than she thought she would and couldn't help but smile slightly as she adjusted her headscarf into an extra pillow. Maybe this could work and in the morning, she'd think of a plan to deal with Azula if she did show up in that crazy tank.

Eira's dreams were a bit confused, as usual, but after a couple of minutes of nonsense, Eira found herself becoming more self-aware in her dream.

_She walked through a fuzzy white landscape with absolutely nothing in it until she saw a small window or something in the distance. It was filled with a moving image of something but she couldn't see it clearly._

"_What...?" Eira whispered and in her curiosity, she began to walk up to it. As she got closer, the image became clearer and she almost gasped in shock as she saw her sister walking to school. Jenna was wearing her red school jumper, grey skirt and white polo shirt and her blonde hair was loose and down to her shoulder, almost identical to how she looked when Eira last saw her but she looked far too sad for someone her age with heavy shadows under her blue-ish grey eyes._

_Eira felt guilty as she looked at her sister. She couldn't help but think about how her leaving had probably caused more pain for her family than even she felt. They had the extra burden of not even knowing what had happened._

"_Mrs Davies is so mean to me lately. I can't believe she's setting us __**two**__ sheets of homework for the weekend." Jenna said shaking her head in disbelief and Eira chuckled. It was weird to think of being set two pieces of homework in primary school used to be the height of being overworked._

"_I know. Miss Brassington only set us one small sheet and those spellings. Mrs Davies is Soooo unfair." Her friend Kath said, sharing Jenna's tone of incredulousness._

_Eira wasn't really thinking of how she was seeing this as it wasn't a memory or anything, she was just happy to see her sister again. Her mind had been becoming frustratingly fuzzy about her previous life lately._

"_Hey Jenna." Eira whispered, smiling but what she hadn't been expecting is her sister to lift her head as if she had heard her._

_Kath and Jenna both stopped._

"_Jenna, what is it?" Kath asked but Jenna looked just as confused as her friend._

"_I-I'm not sure..." Jenna admitted._

"_Wait, Jenna? Can you hear me?" Eira asked and her sister's reaction was definite._

"_Eira..." Her sister gasped. "Eira?"_

"_Jenna, it's..."_

"There's something coming toward us!"

Eira shot up from her sleep and looked around, disorientated, and saw Toph bursting out of her tent. It was roughly the middle of the night as the moon was high in the dark night sky but Eira's mind felt confused and foggy.

"What is it?" Aang asked, running over to her. As Toph knelt to the ground, Sokka, Katara and Eira got up and surrounded her.

Toph's face screwed up in concentration as her hand was placed firmly on the ground.

"It feels like an avalanche, but also not an avalanche." She explained vaguely.

"Your powers of perception are frightening." Sokka commented sarcastically but Eira elbowed him.

"They're better than yours and also, if you've forgotten, she's blind," Eira crossed her arms, worried. "We should leave as soon as possible. I was thinking it was about time we ran into trouble and it appears that I was right."

They scooped up their things as Aang airbent Appa's saddle onto him and jumped on, flying off above the forest to see a giant steel tank of sorts spewing smoke into the air and charging through the trees, leaving a wake of destruction in its path.

"What is that thing?" Katara asked as they all, with the exception of Toph, leaned over the saddle to get a better look at the thing and it looked even worse in real life. There was a definite difference between watching a metal tank full of Fire Nation crazies and actually having it after you.

"Okay, Toph. There is a metal machine from the Fire Nation racing after us and it's most likely full of people trying to kill or capture us, in other words, welcome to an average day for us." Eira said, false-happiness in her voice as she described it.

Toph leaned against the bags on the saddle in the middle and while she looked obviously uncomfortable with flying, she took the joke.

"Wow, I really took the right choice with going with you guys." She retorted dryly.

They flew away in silence for a while, Eira just watching the clouds around them before she had a little idea.

"Aang?" She said quietly so she wouldn't disturb the others who were quietly resting. "Maybe that thing wouldn't be able to follow us if we went somewhere mountainous, could Appa fly us somewhere like that?"

Aang nodded.

"Good idea."

He flicked the reigns in a different direction and Appa began to sail towards a small mountain range and they finally landed on a high cliff after what felt like twenty or so minutes but to be honest Eira didn't really know. She had never had a great sense of time so she _really_ missed her watch.

_Again, I waste time thinking about trivial things._ Eira thought, shaking her head in self-disbelief.

As Appa landed, everyone woke up and looked around groggily at their surroundings.

"Where are we?" Sokka groaned, jumping off Appa's saddle and almost landing on his face.

"Hopefully somewhere that tank won't follow us." Eira answered, throwing down Sokka's sleeping bag next to him. "But because it's late and we haven't got any sleep yet, I think we shouldn't bother with camp and just get our sleeping bags and, well, sleep."

Toph agreed heartily. She had got off Appa as soon as they had landed and began to lie on the floor. She thrust out her arms and her earth tent was erected.

"I'm done!" She announced before rolling on her side and closing her eyes.

Eira's eyes flickered to Katara as she carried her sleeping bag down. To her dismay, Katara's eyes stared at the earth tent in annoyance.

Eira frowned but she put on a reassuring smile as she looked at Katara.

"It's fine. Let's just get some rest. We can figure out what to do about our situation in the morning." Eira whispered, placing a hand on Katara's shoulder. Katara nodded but the look of annoyance on her face stayed.

They all began to lie down so they could get some sleep but if she strained her ears, she could hear Katara muttering under her breath in annoyance. Eira sighed as she flopped down onto the ground. She doubted this was going to be easy or pleasant.

_Eira was back in the white landscape. As soon as she took in her surroundings she felt her heart rate increase._ _Yay! More emotional torment!_ _She thought sarcastically. Last time, she remembered seeing her sister. This time they same thing was likely to happen due to the crappy nature of this world's dreams._

"_Hello!?" She called out. "Where's the wake up button?!" There was no reply. Eira walked around the blank area, looking around... Then she saw the foggy windows. _

_Through them she saw her house, in the dining room. It looked like it was only six o'clock there. At the table, her family was eating dinner, chicken korma and rice, and she couldn't help but notice how tired they all looked. They looked just like parents with missing children who appeared on TV... and she knew the missing child was her._

_Eira's muscles tensed and felt like they'd turned to steel._

"_No, no, no, no, no, no, no." She said shortly. _This is obviously just my messed up imagination guilting me for things out of my control._ She thought before punching herself in the arm forcefully and the scene turned to black..._

Eira shot up, her eyes snapping open and she saw that the moon was low in the sky so it was either early morning or very late night.

"The thing is back!" Toph suddenly shouted, opening her tent and rushing out.

Everyone else quickly woke up and they all looked around for the tank. They saw nothing at first but then black smoke billowed from below the cliff.

"Oh no." Eira complained. "How did that thing even find us? We're on a cliff in the middle of nowhere, Appa's clean and it was dark so how would they even follow us?"

_It's Azula, Eira._ She thought. _She's crazily determined and has a lot of resources. Of course she found us. _

"It doesn't matter, we have to go. We can't risk that thing catching us." Aang said as he jumped up onto Appa's head.

Sokka sleepily wormed out of his sleeping bag and lazily threw it up as Eira and Katara folded their and climbed up onto the saddle. Toph vaulted up onto the saddle with her earthbending. When Aang was happy that everyone was ready he flicked the reigns and Appa sped off into the sky. Almost right into a stream of blue fire.

They all screamed as Aang tugged the reigns to try and swerve to avoid the fire, almost tipping them all off the back of the saddle.

"What was that?!" Toph screamed, clinging on the saddle. Appa recovered quickly and slammed his tail into the air, propelling them away from the range of the fire.

Eira looked over the edge of the saddle and she felt her face pale as she saw Azula below them shoot another stream of azure flames at them. Reacting without thinking, Eira swept her arms forcefully to the side and a large gust of wind shot out and dispersed it before they finally got out of her range.

They all looked back at the tank until it was a little speck in the distance. Appa finally began to slow down a bit when that happened.

"I can't believe those girls from Omashu followed us!" Sokka finally exclaimed, breaking the silence. "And in that, too. Where did they even find something like that?!" He asked, gesturing wildly with his hands.

Eira looked cautiously behind them, her hands resting on her crossed legs.

"They have a lot of resources." She said after a pause. "We know for a fact that one of them is rich, Mai, the governor's daughter." She paused again, thinking whether or not to reveal Azula's identity but in the end, she thought it would to safer to inform them. "Also, I think that the firebender is a part of the royal family, probably the princess."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Toph interrupted. "Who are you even talking about and how is a Fire Nation princess even here?"

"Also, how do you know who she is, Eira?" Katara added.

"I recognised the ornament she wore in her hair, and I remember Mai addressing her as 'princess Azula'." Eira explained.

"I'm never going to get an answer, am I?" Toph muttered.

"Basically, they're a trio of creepy girls who attacked us at Omashu and she's looking for Aang so I guess that's why she's here." Sokka answered.

"I want to know how they found us." Aang spoke up from behind them. "I mean, we travelled really far."

"Yeah." Eira mumbled under her breath. _I want to know as well, Aang._ Eira thought. _I guess I underestimated Azula's craziness._

"Well, I'll just make sure they don't catch up with us again." Aang said with determination. "Appa, yip yip."

They again, with the exception of Eira and Aang, got some rest as they flew over the mountainous and rocky terrain. Aang and Eira didn't really talk as they didn't want to wake or disturb the others so Eira just spent the time leaning against the side of the saddle, thinking and gazing up at the sky.

A part of her thought about how grateful she was about the fact that she could go a long time without sleep, but then again, she felt like she'd managed to get them a lot more time to rest seeing as how it looked like they'd made it until 2 am or something without seeing the tank again.

Again, the lack of a watch was starting to pop up in Eira's mind. Great priorities, as always...

Aang found a flat-surfaced rock bed and Appa landed, somewhat clumsily. The jolt of the landing almost threw them all off the saddle.

In Sokka's case it didn't really matter though. He crawled off the saddle and landed face-first on the dirt. He let out a small moan of pain that turned into a yawn.

"I'm so tired." He complained. "I'm just going to crawl to the softest patch of dirt and sleep for weeks." He mumbled, rolling over and closing his eyes.

Katara's face was shadowed with tiredness and Eira instantly knew that the next thing she said wasn't going to be helpful to maintaining the peace.

"So you're just going to act like Toph." She muttered grumpily. _Aaaaaand, I was right. Negative points to Eira._

"What was that?" Toph lifted her head up and looked indignantly where she felt Katara was.

"It's nothing." Eira reassured quickly. "Guys, come on. We need to just try and rest before that thing finds us again."

"Yeah, if this 'Azula' is anything like Zuko, she's going to find us when it's inconvenient." Sokka added, his eyes still closed as if he was sleeping.

"Who's Zuko?" Toph asked.

"Oh, just some angry ponytail freak who's hunted us all over the world." Sokka explained sleepily.

"What's wrong with ponytails, Ponytail?" Katara asked mockingly.

"This. Is. A. Warrior's. Wolf. Tail." He said slowly, pointing to his ponytail.

"Well, it certainly tells the other warrior's that you're fun and perky." She said jokingly.

"Come on, Katara. We still need to rest. She's probably already-" Eira began but she was cut off by Toph and the ground starting to rumble. Eira groaned in frustration. "Seriously?!"

"It's impossible. We out-flew them by a mile!" Aang said in disbelief.

"I can feel it with my own two feet!" Toph insisted. They all ran over to the side of the cliff and, as feared, the tank was barrelling towards them.

"We need to get out of here." Katara said nervously.

"I think we could take them on. Stop them from following us." Toph said. No-one moved. They all watched as the tank began to slow down until it stopped with a horrible screeching sound and a pneumatic hiss.

The front of the tank slowly opened, releasing a cloud of steam and as the mist cleared they saw the three girls on top of...uh, some sort of lizard. Eira couldn't identify what sort of combination of animal it could be. Partially because they didn't have time and partially because they shot out of the compartment and were racing towards them.

Everyone quickly assumed fighting stances. The two airbenders took up their staffs, Katara readied some water from her water skin, Sokka took his boomerang and Toph planted her feet even more firmly on the earth.

"It's four on three. Easy win." Toph said, determined.

"Toph, there are five of us." Sokka corrected. Toph looked sheepish.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't count you. You know, no bending and all." Sokka turned to her, his face bright red with indignation and rage.

"I can still fight!" He protested.

"And by that logic it's four on one. Two of them aren't benders." Eira added as Toph quickly earthbent three large pillars and shot them at the trio in an attempt to hinder them but their animals quickly scurried around and leapt over them.

"Um, I'm not so sure of this plan to _take them._" Aang admitted. "I think we should leave." Katara, Eira and Sokka nodded and began to retreat back to Appa.

Toph thrust up her arms and a huge wall of stone appeared in front of them, blocking the girls, giving them the time to get to Appa.

They didn't see anything for a couple of seconds but then the wall was completely shattered by lightning and the lizards ran through the debris.

Toph stared in shot, clearly not expecting her earthbent wall to have been broken so easily. Mai, who was on the left of Azula, took advantage of her stunned state and swung her arm in Toph's direction, releasing a flurry of her throwing knives.

Toph snapped back into action and launched herself off a pillar, landing on Appa as they knives struck the pillar.

"Appa, yip yip!" Aang said quickly and they sped away, Eira sending a large burst of air at them to stop Azula from sending another stream of fire at them.

After a couple of minutes of flying again, they were all slightly less tense.

"I can't believe it. You were right, Eira. It _is_ those girls from Omashu!" Katara exclaimed.

Toph huffed. "We still could've taken them." Katara looked at her incredulously.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked. "The weird blue firebending and dagger-throwing girls are bad enough, but last time we saw them, one of those girls did something that took my bending away. That's scary."

Eira thought back to the fight at Omashu and frowned. It wasn't a fun memory. Trying to avoid Ty Lee's chi blocking whilst carrying a 'hostage' baby and trying to hold out until Appa arrived as well wasn't an experience she'd recommend. She hadn't been chi blocked last time and, while she was slightly curious to see how it'd be to be chi blocked, she didn't want to experience it.

They all sat around, not really bothering or wanting to do anything and as they saw the sun slowly peaking out of the horizon, Sokka jerked up to get a better look, his face looking horrified.

"Oh no, the sun is rising. We've been up _that_ long?!" He complained.

"Sokka, it's fine." Eira said calmly.

Sokka's eyes darted around. "Are you sure?" He asked. "I've never not slept before!" he cried, holding his hands up to his head. "What if I begin to fall asleep now and something happens? And something always happens!"

"I said it's fine, Sokka. A human can survive up to two or so weeks with no sleep... though it's not exactly recommended."

Katara rested her chin on her hand as she looked down at the ground below Appa.

"Every time we land, those girls are there. So we'll just have to keep flying." Katara summed up.

"We can't keep flying forever." Aang protested.

"Then we're just going to have to think of a plan to stop them following us." Eira said. _Might as well put that plan into motion. It's now or never._

o.O.o

They were still flying after Eira, somewhat, explained her plan. They still had to find an appropriate area with the river, close-ish ghost town, e.t.c.

Eira had kept what they had done from the show but... organised it. It wasn't going to be just random events and unforeseen benefits. It was going to be planned and methodical.

"How do you know this plan is going to work, Eira?" Sokka asked. "I mean, it seems pretty unlikely that this actually works. It's based on that they actually fall for the ruse and split up the way you predicted and that seems unreliable."

Eira nodded in agreement. "True. It is based on them being predictable, but I think that if we make it believable enough, it should work."

Toph yawned loudly and stretched. "But how is your 'master plan' going to work if we're so tired. Those girls, if you haven't forgotten, keep on chasing us so we can't get any rest," she asked cynically.

"Well, yes. But I know you guys and how strong you can be." Eira smiled reassuringly. "We can take them, even if we're a little tired."

Appa bellowed in complaint and he dipped a bit. Aang, leaning down from his head to look at him in the face, was clearly concerned.

"Guys, we need to land soon!" he announced loudly. "I don't think Appa can fly for much longe-ACK!" Aang yelped as Appa started to fall again, his energy clearly diminishing. They all screamed and grabbed onto the saddle or reins as Appa quickly began his descent.

"What's going on!?" Toph screamed frantically as she held onto the saddle for life.

"Appa fell asleep!" Eira yelled above the roaring wind in her ears and when she closed her eyes to protect them from the stinging wind, she appreciated how Toph must feel.

She couldn't 'see' like how she usually could when they flew so she was already uneasy but then, out of nowhere, _boom!_ They're suddenly falling.

"Appa, buddy! Wake up!" Aang shouted and Appa jerked back awake but sadly he couldn't pick himself up in time to stop crashing to the ground so... they crashed to the ground. But not before splintering several trees and having their twigs scratching and scraping their skin painfully.

Appa skidded to the ground, throwing dirt up into the air as they held on before finally landing harshly into a nearby river, completely soaking them all as well as everything on the saddle.

Aang slid off Appa's head and stared at the sleepy face of his friend.

"Appa's exhausted. I'm not sure if he has the energy to do anything." Aang's grey eyes flickered with doubt and concern.

"Okay then," Sokka said as Eira, Katara and Toph all climbed off the saddle grumpily and uncomfortably. Eira quickly airbent the water off her as Katara waterbent herself, Sokka and even Toph dry. "I think, as we've but a lot of distance between us and the tank, we should all try and maybe get some rest before we have to put the plan in motion, or something."

Toph sighed in relief and collapsed to the ground.

"I like that plan." Katara huffed.

"What was that, princess?" Toph asked in an 'innocent' sounding voice and that seemed to annoy Katara even further.

"Princess?!" Eira groaned inwardly. Really, now?

"Katara, it's nothing. Can we just get some rest? We need to be able to fight those crazies if you've forgotten." Eira grumbled. In hindsight she should've realised that her tone wasn't the most helpful but at the time the interrupted sleep was slowly getting to her.

"I'm just saying that it would be better if Toph acted a bit more helpful," Katara explained defensively.

"Hey!" Toph exclaimed, jumping up to 'glare' at Katara as best as she could. "You're blaming _me_ for this?!"

"No, she isn't." Eira said firmly, jumping between the two.

"No, I'm blaming her. She's been nothing but lazy all day." Katara said angrily, crossing her arms defensively.

"Katara, that's unfair."

"Yeah! I've been carrying my own weight, by myself. You should be blaming the crazy girls chasing us!" Toph protested.

"Toph," Eira attempted to stop them from arguing more but it was clearly not going to happen.

"Just because you're 'carrying your own weight' doesn't mean you have an excuse to just do whatever you want!"

"Just stop it!" Eira yelled. They became quiet. "Guys, this isn't going to help. Every second we waste, they get closer to us." She sighed in frustration. "We're all a team. We need to act like one. We can't do anything with them chasing us. We need to get this over with or things are just going to get worse."

There was silence as everyone stood still, Eira's words sinking in.

It was broken by Aang shifting nervously.

"She's right. If we can't all get along, we'll never be able to do anything," he said quietly. Katara's gaze fell to her feet.

"I-I'm sorry, Toph," she murmured. "I know you're adjusting, but… you have to understand that we _want_ to help you, not because we think you're helpless."

"Yeah, you're strong and tough and stuff. We all know that!" Sokka added, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.

Toph didn't respond at first, but then she huffed and folded her arms.

"Fine. If you guys really need me to help out that much, I guess I'll allow it." She smirked. "So are we going to start with fairy feet's plan or aren't we?"

Eira raised an eyebrow. Fairy feet? She wasn't aware she had particularly light footsteps but the nickname didn't sound mean-spirited so she wouldn't really mind.

Aang and Sokka smiled enthusiastically and they all started to get ready. Aang, Katara and Eira all washed Appa to take some of his shedding fur to leave a trail as Sokka and Toph both looked out for the tank.

By Eira's judgement of time, which should never really be trusted, the tank shouldn't arrive for quite a while but better safe than sorry.

Aang collected the fur in a leather satchel and patted Appa's snout playfully as he finished.

"Thanks buddy."

"We're ready!" Eira called as they regrouped next to Appa. "To recap, we split up to split them up. Toph and Aang go the route I assume Azula will go, towards the ghost village nearby, and Katara, Sokka and I will head towards the river in the opposite direction. Once we stop each of the ones chasing our group, we regroup to the other location."

Katara nodded. "Understood, but will Appa be okay to fly?"

Eira looked at Aang for an answer, he was the decider for Appa's condition. Aang looked over at his sleepy companion confidently.

"He'll be fine as long as you don't have to travel too far."

"Great! The river's not too far away and it'll be a while before they manage to track us down," Sokka exclaimed cheerfully.

Agreed on the plan, Eira, Sokka and Katara climbed onto Appa's saddle. Sokka took the reins, with Eira and Katara on the saddle, ready to use their bending to leave a trail.

"Appa, yip yip!" he said quickly. Appa grunted and took flight and as he did, Katara and Eira airbent/waterbent the trees to look like Appa had flown over them. It was a bit easier as Appa was flying quite a bit lower than he usually would due to his tiredness.

They flew for a couple of minutes alongside a dirt path in the forest, the tone feeling strangely calm, as Eira heard a bird _sqwark_. It was strange. She felt like she'd heard something similar so she looked around for something.

It was just a red-ish bird of prey… Wait, what? _Is that a-_

"What is it Momo?"Sokka asked as Momo began to chitter nervously but then they all saw what he was acting so nervous about. "Oooooh, no! The crazies!" he yelled.

Katara and Eira looked pack to see Mai and Ty Lee following them in hot pursuit, riding those creepy lizards and Katara's eyes widened.

"How did they get here so quickly?!"

"Appa, come one, we need to go faster!" Sokka insited urgently but Eira was worried they wouldn't be able to outrun those weird lizards. They were stupidly fast and agile.

"Not good, not good! We need to get over there quickly!" Sokka yelled frantically. Appa grunted and Eira felt them speeding up as the river was coming up.

"Come on Appa, just a little further…" Katara muttered pleadingly as Eira braced herself for a rocky landing, her hand gripping her staff tightly.

Appa sped up across the forest, skimming some of the trees but one caught his leg and sent him spiralling across the water of the river, helping them dodge some knives thrown from Mai, before half-crashing, half-landing on the bank of the other side.

The trio jumped off the saddle as they stared across at Mai and Ty Lee.

"They... can't get across, can they?" Sokka asked haltingly as Eira tensed.

"They can." As if to prove her point, the lizards zipped across the surface of the water, their spindley green-scaled legs rotating at impossible speeds to run across. It looked unreal and impossible when little, tiny lizards did it on documentaries in her world, but Eira just couldn't believe it when she saw the massive creatures do the same.

It was things like that, that reminded her that she was in a different world with rules that she couldn't always follow.

Katara reacted quickly, stepping forward and spinning around, sending a slash of water from the river at them in an attempt to dismount the girls but as it went towards Ty Lee, she leaped off from the beast just in time to land near the treetops, gracefully dodging from tree to tree before landing on the ground next to Katara.

Eira, seeing that Katara would have difficulty fighting her off, jumped into the fight, using her staff as an extension of her arms. Ty Lee saw her and blocked the blows with her forearms but when she was distracted with the staff, Eira kicked a gust of air at her, sending her back. Ty Lee recovered quickly and back flipped before landing on her feet.

Eira couldn't see clearly what Katara and Sokka were doing so it made her jump when ice-covered stilettos shot out from the corner of her eye. Katara must've re-directed Mai's knives.

Mai had just jumped off her lizard and was currently fighting off Sokka and Katara so, again, Eira got distracted and didn't react quick enough to completely dodge her throwing knives.

They skimmed the surface of her arm, ripping her sleeve and cutting her skin slightly. Thankfully Eira moved out of the way or they would've most likely pierced her arm of at least thrown her back with the force.

Ty Lee began to target Katara as Mai also swapped targets to Eira and Sokka. Katara began a water whip in Ty Lee's direction but she jumped up and managed to chi block her shoulder, forcing her to drop the water. In retaliation, Sokka lashed out at the gymnast with his knife. Eira span her staff around, catching more of Mai's knives.

_Doesn't she ever run out of these!?_ Eira thought desperately as she sent a slash of air at the gloomy teen. It struck her and sent her flying backwards into the water.

"Nice try, but no," Eira heard Sokka say and when she turned around she saw Ty Lee shaking her hand in pain and glaring at Sokka.

Katara was looking over to Appa but she was pinned to the floor by knives that Mai had at some point thrown. Wow, she was bad at keeping track at what happened in fights. It was a heck of a lot easier when she had the ever-so-helpful third person view of a tv show.

Then Sokka fell to the ground next to his sister and Eira realised that it was now a two-on-one battle. And she was sadly the one.

Eira tensed as she held her staff defensively at the two girls who had now regrouped and after a moment's pause, they charged. Hooray…

Mai flung her knives at Eira and with a swirling gust, they were blown back in her direction. Ty Lee tried to get in some punched while she was distracted but Eira jumped up using her airbending to avoid her. Eira used her momentum to forcefully swing her staff downwards at Mai and when the wood connected with her body, she was sent down into the dirt. Hopefully, down and out for the count.

Then she felt a cold stab in her arm as Ty Lee punched her. It made her muscles tense up, but not as much as Eira would've thought. _This must be chi blocking. Odd, it doesn't feel as incapacitating as I thought it would be. _She could still move freely, she couldn't airbend but other than that, she felt normal. Actually, she felt as normal as she had when she was before she'd arrived in his world.

_Wait… I can't bend, but I can still fight!_ The idea flashed through her mind and she was happy that she'd actually learnt _physical_ martial arts. She could still do this.

She blocked Ty Lee's next punch and tried one of her own but Ty Lee moved out of the way, trying to lash her leg out but Eira saw it and backed up.

Ty Lee was just about to strike her again. She was too agile for Eira if she didn't have her bending, but apparently, fate decided to actually like her for once as at that moment, Appa decided to come into the fight. He had recovered from his exhaustion and shaky landing and swept Ty Lee backwards into the river.

Eira turned to face Appa, a huge grin on her face. "Thanks Appa. You're the best."

Eira quickly helped/picked Katara and Sokka up from the ground and when they were all on Appa, Eira took the reins and they flew off, leaving Ty Lee and Mai behind them.

Eira snuck a quite glance behind them and was grateful to see Mai moving, Ty Lee talking with her. She was worried for a second that she'd really hurt her.

"So, are you guys alright. They didn't hurt you, did they?" Eira asked, after a few minutes of awkward silence.

Sokka groaned in annoyance. "Unless you count my head when she tried to chi block it, no, they didn't hurt me."

Katara flexed her hands experimentally. "I think my bending's coming back." She looked over at Eira, worried. "What about yours?"

Eira shrugged.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. She let go of the reins for a second and tried to airbend, punching the air. Nothing really happened except maybe a small punch of air, but she was probably being optimistic. "Nope, not back yet, but honestly, I don't think it really matters in my case. It's not like I'm good at airbending or anything."

"That's not true, you're a great airbender," Katara protested. Eira smiled in self-depreciation.

"Right. I'm the second greatest airbender you know, what a great achievement," she said sarcastically. Katara crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, if you tried harder and trained more, you could master it. I believe you're a very talented airbender seeing as you apparently got your bending from the spirits themselves." Eira laughed loudly.

"Yeah, no. I'm pretty sure those spirits just gave me the power to jump high and punch air. They just sent me here so the world would have another airbender, I'm sure their last thought was to make me actually good at it."

"Hey, sorry to interrupt your bending talk, but how much longer until we reach the town that you sent Aang and Toph too?" Sokka asked, raising his voice to talk over the two girls.

Eira looked down at the landscape below. She saw nothing but green for a while but then she spotted the small empty group of buildings that she'd told them about.

"Not much longer," she announced. "We should be there is a few minutes, so be ready."

Appa flew down towards the town quickly and just before then, Eira tested and found that her bending had come back. Katara was the same, her bending having returned in full strength.

They saw sparks of blue and orange fire as well as blurs in the air and large rocks being thrown so they knew that Azula was fighting off Zuko, Aang and Toph and they were keen to join the fight.

It would be all of them versus Azula and no matter how talented she was, there was no way she'd get the better of them in this fight.

EIra jumped off Appa before they landed and she landed, using her airbending to cushion herself, right next to Toph.

She didn't say anything as she analysed what she'd just jumped into. Toph was throwing rocks with her earthbending at Azula as Aang fought her firebending with his airbending.

"Eira!" Aang exclaimed, thrilled to see his friends arriving.

Azula swiftly turned and fired a blast at Aang, but he dissipated it with a gust of air. Sokka, Katara and Eira ran in and Azula backed up, turning and sending a large fan of fire at them to stop them from advancing but she was being cornered.

Katara water whipped at her but Azula span out of the way, right into Aang and Eira's combined air attacks that caught her in the chest and pushed her back a bit before she lashed out with a stream of blue flames, stopping them.

She ran back but Toph sent a jagged spire of earth out of the ground that almost tripped the Fire Nation princess. Azula jumped up and landed in an offensive stance, prepared to attack. Iroh and Zuko joined them from who-knows-where. Eira wished she'd arrived a bit earlier so she could've understood the situation a bit better.

They all surrounded her as she backed up into a corner of broken building, Azula scowled at all of them.

"Well, well, look at this," she said coolly. "Enemies and traitors, all working together. I'm done." She raised her hands up in surrender and Eira tensed. "I know when I'm beaten. You got me. A princess surrenders with honour."

Eira shifted her weight slightly, ready to deflect any attack she made. Everyone's guards were up. No one wanted to move unless it caused Azula to make_ her_ move.

Eira's eyes slanted slightly towards her friends and Iroh and Zuko. She was worried about whether or not they were going to do anything. Azula was not someone to be trusted and-

Eira felt a flash of heat and in the corner of her eye, too fast for her to do anything, a blast of azure flames headed straight for her.

They struck her chest and she screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. Black spots danced around in her vision and unconsciousness was threatening. _Damn it!_ She thought weakly. _Now… now, she'll escape….._ The black spots covered her eyesight, and she fell unconscious.

_...Eira… …ak… …p, com…. …zula…. ….l her…. ….EIRA!_

Eira's eyes shot open as she felt a warm feeling in her chest. It felt just like when Katara healed her hands, and she was right. She was no longer burnt. She felt no pain in it. She moved to sit up and she hissed. Okay, she felt _some_ pain.

It was nightfall and she was sitting on Appa's saddle. Katara, Sokka and Toph were siting, worried expressions on their faces. She saw Aang sitting on Appa's head but she couldn't see his expression.

"Finally, you're awake. I was worried that crazy princess had done some actual damage to you." Sokka joked. Eira smiled but it quickly faded.

"What happened to Azula, and Zuko?" she asked. Katara frowned.

"They, got away. Azula ran off as soon as she struck you and Zuko left soon after," Katara explained. Eira groaned in frustration.

"Seriously? All of that trouble and we didn't even get her?" Eira complained. "Damn it, why am I so useless?" she muttered harshly under her breath. So far she wasn't really doing very well on her 'stop-Azula-quickly' plan. It was frustrating, to say the least.

"its fine, Eira," Sokka reassured. "She won't be following us now. There's no way she would after how we cornered her. Your plan worked."

Eira put on a small smile.

"Yay…"

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**Hope you liked it!**

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	8. Chapter 8- Different Teaching Methods

**Hope you enjoy reading this chapter! This chapter is a bit of a change and I hope you like what I did with it.**

**Please read, follow and review!**

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Chapter 8: Different Teaching Methods

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Eira was thankful for Katara's healing, it made her realise that if Zuko had just let her heal Iroh in the actual episode, he would've been better in no time. Then she remembered about what _actually_ happened to Iroh in the series and was even more thankful that she was healed.

A part of her wondered why she was targeted by Azula when it had been Iroh in the show, but then the other part of her answered the question for her. She _became_ the target. She'd been so worried about protecting or watching everyone else, she'd let her guard down.

It was just like everything that happened in this world. Knowing what was going to happen to her friends combined with Eira's overly-protective nature, she always managed to get in the line of fire.

She went instead of Aang with Zuko because she tricked him into thinking she was the Avatar so Aang could travel with Katara and Sokka in peace, she kept annoying Zhao and stopped him from killing Yue and she shoved Katar out of the reach of that Earth Kingdom general guy.

_I probably should tone it down, or I'll end up jumping in front of the bus to save someone who wasn't even on the road,_ Eira thought, turning her thoughts to where they were.

They were currently camping in a mountainous terrain and it was Eira's second least favourite place they'd been so far. It was almost completely devoid of trees and nature except for the odd dried bush or spiky, leafless tree. Better than the swamp, though.

"Today's the day!" Eira had been quietly contemplating whilst staring off into the distance but Aang's jubilant cries shook her out of it as she suddenly focused back on her surroundings and saw the twelve-year-old airbender running up and around Appa.

He jumped up, punching the air in excitement and landed next to Sokka, who was still sleeping. "Can you believe it? After all that time searching for a teacher, I'm finally starting earthbending!"

Momo flew around Aang and chittered as he landed on Appa's head.

"It's perfect, don't you think?" Aang said.

"It'll be much better than that academy you went to," Eira commented as Sokka grumbled loudly and glared at the two airbenders with tired eyes. He was obviously still recovering from the lack of sleep due to Fire Nation crazies.

"Oh, you're still sleeping, huh?" Aang's eyes widened innocently before looking sheepish. "Sorry," he whispered.

Sokka rolled over, still grumbling. Eira smiled mischievously. _One, two, three- _Just on cue, the earth began to rumble and Toph's earth tent exploded loudly as she shouted, hands on hips.

"Gooooooood morning, earthbending student!" Aang and Katara turned their heads to look at her as Katara sat up straight in her sleeping bag. Toph walked confidently up to them, a huge grin on her face.

"Good morning, Sifu Toph," Aang said respectfully, bowing slightly. Katara looked a bit miffed.

"Hey, you never call me Sifu Katara." Aang scratched the back of his head.

"Well, if you think that I should…" he began but Sokka sat up, grumbling intelligibly but it roughly translated into 'Didn't I tell you to be quiet? Some people are trying to sleep here!'

"Don't worry Katara. I don't call Aang, Sifu Aang," Eira reassured. "Though that may be because we don't call teachers 'master' or 'sifu' where I'm from," she then added, quieter, trailing off at the end.

Sokka grumbled loudly again and Toph looked at him, well, she was 'looking' in his direction, and smiled widely.

"Sorry, Snoozles, we'll do our earthbending," she lowered her voice to a whisper. "As quietly as we can."

And as she finished her sentence, she slammed her left heel into the ground, creating a small crack and creating a spire of earth right under Sokka's sleeping bag. He flew up into the air, screaming all the way.

Katara stood up to get a better view of the hilarious sight and join them all in staring up in the sky as Sokka began his decent. He crashed down into the ground and jumped to his feet surprisingly quickly, still in his sleeping bag, and hopped towards Aang, mumbling under his breath and hopped towards Toph to repeat the action before hopping away.

They all watching him bunny hop away, as if a video game character, before turning to Aang and Toph, the topic of earthbending returning to their minds.

"So what move are you going to teach me first?" Aang asked excitably. He stretched out his right arm, fist clenched, and brought it down like a hammer on the air. "Rock-a-lanche?" He clenched his left fist and brought it to his right elbow and shook his two arms. "The Trembler?" He jumped up and down and span around, arms outstretched. "Or maybe I could learn to make a whirlpool out of land!"

Toph put a hand on Aang's chest, stopping his from moving.

"Let's start with…" she pushed the air in front of her. "Move a rock," she said bluntly. Aang clapped his hands together in excitement.

"Sounds good, sound good!" he chirped.

They all walked over to another part of the canyon, Toph leading the way. She stood Aang next to her as Eira and Katara watched in interest. She earthbent two boulders out of the ground and placed them in front of herself and Aang.

"The key to earthebending is your stance," Toph explained, her feet shoulders width apart. "You've got to be steady and strong. Rock is a stubborn element. If you're going to move it, you've got to be like a rock yourself."

Aang nodded in understanding. "Like a rock. Got it."

Eira smiled. Stubborn or like a rock, were not things she usually associated with Aang. There was definitely another reason than simply being a native airbender why Aang found earthbending hard. He was so much like air as a person that being something like a rock would be so hard.

For Eira, she felt like she wouldn't really excel or find any element difficult. She loved feeling free and was accepting like an airbender, she was kind of adaptable like a waterbender, she was definitely stubborn enough to be an earthbender and forceful and aggressive enough to be a firebender.

A combination of the elements' natural traits. The flaws and strengths. _I guess in my world, if we had bending, it would be a lot more diverse instead of separating them all like this._

That's one reason she never though that stories with bending in the real world would be as interesting, or was it more interesting? If there were lots of different benders and non-benders in one place, she'd imagine a lot of chaos.

"…motion of this is pretty simple." Eira focused back on their training very suddenly as Toph sent the boulder in front of her right into the canyon wall.

Eira gasped in shock and awe as she shook herself out of her thoughts.

"Okay, you ready to give it a try?" Toph asked Aang and, of course, Aang enthusiastically nodded.

"I'm ready," he said confidently, mimicking Toph's actions but he ended up airbending at the rock instead and pushed himself over to Appa, rolling backwards.

"Rock beats airbender," Eira commented, slightly amused. Aang smiled self-depreciatively but then Eira saw the disappointment on his face and she felt bad.

Aang stood up as Katara and Toph walked up to the boulder Aang had tried, and failed to move.

Katara looked at the boulder in puzzlement. "I don't understand what he did wrong. He did it exactly the way you did."

Aang jumped over to them and circled the boulder.

"Maybe there's another way," he said hopefully. "What if I came at the boulder from another angle?"

"That won't work." Eira walked up to Aang. "Earthbending is very blunt. Think of it like how Toph acts. She never beats around the bush, never avoids the issue and attacks things head on. The only way you can move the rock is to be like that."

"Yeah, fairy feet's right. Stop thinking like an airbender and do this." Toph jumped up and destroyed the rock with a combination of her head and her eathbending and Eira couldn't help but think that it wasn't the greatest example for Aang.

Aang looked almost scared as he stared at the pebbles and dust Toph reduced the boulder to.

"Don't worry Aang. You _will_ get it. You can't expect to get _every_ type of bending perfect on the first try." Eira added, trying to keep his confidence up.

"Yeah," Aang half-heartedly agreed.

"Come on Twinkle Toes, time for your lesson." Toph shouted. _Why does the word 'lesson' make me feel so anxious?_ Eira thought as she watched Toph earthbend a massive rock and pointed from Aang to it.

Next thing Eira knew, they were going through test after ridiculous test, and it was about as painful as Eira expected.

He was forced to carry the rock on his back as Toph earthbent the ground under his feet to make it even harder to walk. This of course didn't work and he fell to the ground. Painfully. Ouch!

Then Toph took Aang to a pit of soft rock and somehow managed to stab her hands into it, the rock parting without even hurting her. Aang, on the other hand, managed to nearly break his hand as the rock stayed perfectly solid as he slammed his fingers against the rock.

All through this 'training', Toph was shouting like a drill sergeant, clearly loving her newfound power.

"Rock-like! No flinching! You call yourself an earthbender!?" Eira couldn't help but feel sorry for Aang as failure after failure piled on. She tried thinking of more… humane ways to teach Aang earthbending but the problem with that was that Eira wasn't an earthbender. Sooooo, yeah.

Currently, Aang was holding one of Sokka's weapons, much to Sokka's dismay and he was trying his hardest to get it back but Toph just shoved him away. Aang was, of course, blindfolded, as Toph brought up rocks for Aang to try and smash with the club.

He swung the club about five times, failing to hit a single rock until, much to his own surprise, he hit one and even the one after that. Eira looked over to Toph and she nodded in approval.

"Not bad, Twinkle Toes," she admitted. Aang turned around to face her direction and smiled widely, just to get hit by another one of the jutting rocks Toph earthbent right under his feet..

"Ow!" Aang complained, raising his blindfold off his face. Toph shrugged, her smiled looking more mischievous.

"Sorry," she apologised non-committaly. "Couldn't help it." She waved her hand towards another area and marked a line out in the dirt. "Next test!" she announced.

She raised her arms and the earth below her rose up and built herself into a shield of rock. It covered everything but her nose and mouth so she could breathe.

Aang stood on the other side of the line, looking weary, not knowing what to expect but he reacted quickly as Toph earthbent herself at him. He raised his arms and dug his feet into the ground to slow her charge.

He strained against her and managed to push her back on the other side of the line and Eira clapped supportively as he succeeded.

"Good job, Aang!" she called.

Despite the excitement of watching Aang learning Earthbending and the fact that she was actually interested in seeing it, Eira was starting to feel bored. She was probably going to start writing or something if she wasn't really needed.

Eira wasn't exactly known back in school for having the best attention span. It hadn't really affected her as they were almost constantly doing something and the only time it really showed up was when Aang tried teaching her airbending.

She just got so easily frustrated when she tried/failed to learn something. It wasn't a good thing and it made something like airbending, which required patience, incredibly difficult.

A normal person would just ask for more lessons but Eira always felt guilty whenever Aang took time out of his day to teach her. He was the Avatar and far more important so Eira always made it clear that his training with Katara, and now Toph, came first.

Her struggling to grasp airbending made Eira feel envious of Katara, and she hated it. Katara was just so talented and she even had the determination to master her element so quickly. Eira just wished she had that. She still thought that it just wasn't in her. Was it even possible for her to master an element she wasn't even born with?

_Gah!_ What was it about just leaving her to her thoughts that caused her to just drift off and think of things that just confused her to no end?!

_Yep, I need to take my mind off my catastrophic mindscape. Wait, is it even possible to take your mind off your mind? GAH!_

Eira stood up quickly walked over to Appa's saddle to get her paper and pencil of sorts. He bag was filled with her little scratchy notes, plans and doodles. Sokka and Katara, mainly, were always curious about what she wrote but they couldn't read it because it was the Latin alphabet.

Eira always felt a little weird about how she could read their alphabet but they couldn't read hers but it was helpful as she hated it when people read over her shoulder.

Aang was progressively getting better at Toph's tests but he still showed no sign of actually earthbending. Eira walked around, following them and making notes on ideas for possible ways to help Aang. Sadly, most of them reached almost Toph levels of student abuse as that's what she was basing her earthbending knowledge on.

"This time we're gonna try something a little different," Toph explained. "Instead of moving a rock, you're going to stop a rock. Get in your horse stance!" she commanded and Aang shifted his position to suit Toph's demands. He lowered his centre of gravity and placed his feet shoulder's width apart.

"I'm going to roll that boulder down that hill and, if you have the attitude of an earthbender, you'll stay in your stance and stop the rock. Like this!" Toph hopped into Aang's stance and stretched out before reverting back to normal standing.

Katara looked justifiably uneasy. As did Aang.

"Sorry Toph," Katara began. "But are you really sure this is the best way to teach Aang earthbending?"

Toph looked up, an idea popping in her head as she walked back over to Aang.

"I'm glad you said something. Actually there is a better way," she agreed, pulling out a rag and tying it around Aang's head. "This way, you'll actually have to sense the vibrations of the boulder to stop it. Thank you, Katara."

"Yeah, thanks, Katara!" Aang repeated sarcastically.

Katara looked sheepishly at Aang's blindfolded state.

"Heh, sorry."

Toph ran up to the top of the hill Aang was in front of with a slightly-disturbing amount of energy.

Aang fidgeted as silence swept over them, which was quickly broken by the rumbling of the impending boulder running down the hill towards them. Eira and Katara stood far away from Aang and, sure it wasn't going to help his confidence, but they didn't want to risk being in the way.

Aang stood his ground but he was obviously worried and as it was just about to hit him, he jumped over the rock and let it roll past him a crash into the cliff behind him.

Aang landed softly on the ground, taking off his blindfold to reveal his ashamed expression and Toph was having none of it. As she stormed over, Aang quickly cut in first.

"I guess I just panicked," he quickly explained. "I don't know what to say."

"There's nothing _to_ say. You blew it!" Toph shouted angrily. "You had a perfect stance, and a perfect form, but when it came right down to it, you didn't have the guts!" Toph jabbed a finger at Aang's chest.

Aang dropped his head in disappointment. "I know. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, you _are_ sorry. A sorry excuse for an Avatar and an earthbender. If you're not tough enough to sop the rock, then you can at least give it the pleasure of smashing you instead of jumping out of the way like a jelly-boned wimp!"

"Toph, that's unfair. You can't expect him to master earthbending in _one_ day," Eira broke in but Toph still looked just as upset.

"Yeah, but I expect him to at least do _something_! He hasn't earthbent a single thing after an entire day's training!"

"Then maybe he just can't learn the way you teach him."

"Then how would you do it, Fairy Feet? How would you, an airbender, suggest I teach Aang earthbending?"

"Maybe, inversing your tactics. Throwing rocks at him and forcing him to just stand there until he earthebends is unreasonable, especially when you consider how Aang learns." Eira crossed her arms defensively as she re-called one of her notes.

Aang learnt at a slower pace, and not through fighting. He needed more peaceful tactics. Then, maybe…

"How about you instead keep him somewhere and he has to learn to earthbend to get out, or-" Toph didn't let her finish. She quickly slammed her foot on the ground and a box of earth appeared around Aang. Then, before he could jump out of it, she threw a slab of earth on top of it, twisting her hand to connect them together.

"Toph! At least put air holes in it!" Eira cried, worried for Aang. Toph sighed and pulled her hand towards herself, causing several holes at the top of the box to appear.

She walked up to the box ad hit her fist on it.

"If you get out of this box, I'll forgive you for your wussy attempt at stopping the rock. Only rule, no other bending."

"Toph! What?!" Aang exclaimed, his voice slightly muffled.

Toph brushed her hands together.

"That good enough for you?"

Katara and Eira were just stood there, in shock. Eira hadn't expected that to happen but… a part of her thought it could work. Toph herself learnt to metalbend because she was forced to get herself out of a similar situation.

"Aang, we're not going to leave you," Katara called supportively. "You can do this."

"Thanks, Katara. And _thanks_, Eira," Aang said sarcastically and Eira couldn't blame him. She'd be ten times worse in his situation.

"_Mae flyn 'da fi, _Aang. But, you _can_ do this."

Eira looked around and realised one slightly mocking and equally sarcastic voice was missing. "Hey, where's Sokka?" she asked.

Katara looked around and raised her eyebrows in shock as she suddenly noticed the absence of her brother.

"Wait, you're right. Where is he?"

Eira thought back to the episode, and suddenly laughed. _Oh, that's where he is._

"What's so funny?" Katara asked.

"Sorry, I just think I know where he is. I'll go get him."

Eira jogged off and broke out into a slow run as she went past their camp and over to the other side of the canyon. There was slightly more nature around this area and Eira wished they'd made camp there. It was a least a little nicer than dry cracked earth.

Either way, she knew that Sokka left to go hunting around this area. And got himself trapped in a hole.

"You probably think I deserve this, don't you?" Eira poked her head from behind a dry, leafless tree and burst out laughing as she saw Sokka, hands poking out, stuck in a hole with a small adorable furry animal next to him. What sealed the deal was Sokka's generally fed-up/begrudging acceptant expression.

Sokka's head turned sharply to look at Eira, still laughing loudly at his indignation. He frowned and pouted.

"Yeah, yeah, _thanks_, Eira. I know, I probably deserve this for trying to hunt and your vegetarian blah, blah but can you just help me."

Eira walked over and knelt next to the cute animal. It head-butted her hand, much like a cat, and she petted it.

"Aw, aren't you cute. Did you do this to Sokka?" Sokka pouted even more.

"Hey! Can you stop with the talking and more with the, getting me out of this hole?" Eira laughed.

"That depends on if I can or not," Eira admitted, standing up. She cocked her head to the side quizzically. "How did you fall in anyway? I know you were hunting, but then what?"

"If you really want to know, I was about to get it but when I jumped down, I fell in this crack," he explained.

Eira kicked his boomerang with her foot and raised an eyebrow at him.

"That was an escape attempt!"

"How were you planning to get out of pit by throwing a boomerang?" Eira asked.

"I don't know!" Sokka protested. "Can you please get me out of here now?" He paused, a thought occurring to him. "Wait, why are you here? I thought you were with Aang and Toph and Katara."

Eira felt her face turn red. "I, uh, kind of tried to help out with Aang's training and, um… got him trapped in a box of earth."

"So, both of us are trapped? Why isn't Toph helping us then?" Eira shifted her weight sheepishly.

"She was the one who trapped Aang. I think she's surveying her training," Eira explained. _I just hope she isn't doing… Toph things to try and persuade him to get himself out of it._

"It doesn't matter though," Eira said, changing the subject. "Let's just get you out of there."

Eira took one of Sokka's hands and pulled but stopped as he cried out in pain.

"Stop. Stop. Stop. Stop. That isn't going to work!" Sokka shouted quickly.

"But if we manage to get your arms out, you can just push yourself out," Eira explained. She tried to pull him up again but he wasn't budging.

"I don't get it, how did you get yourself so stuck?" Eira pulled on his hands again but he was too tightly stuck in the ground.

"You could just get Toph," Sokka suggested. "I mean, your airbending and Katara's waterbending isn't exactly going to help me move rock, especially considering how you're not the best. No offence."

Eira frowned. That last comment wasn't really necessary. It was true, but still unnecessary.

"Fine, I'll try and go get Toph, but I doubt she'll do much more than laugh at you and Aang," Eira said, walking off.

"Be careful, though!" she called as she got fairly far away. "I think that animal's a moose-lion cub and its mother may be close by!"

She jogged off, slightly amused by Sokka's suddenly disturbed shouts and only feeling a bit bad.

The camp hadn't really changed since she'd left to find Sokka but she did notice that Katara was looking clearly more worried and Toph was looking more frustrated and annoyed.

"Um, hey… guys. How's Aang doing?" Eira asked awkwardly.

"I'm doing _fine_," Aang's muffled voice spoke out from inside the box.

"No, you're not! You haven't even managed to make a dent in the box yet, what kind of earthbender are you?" Toph asked loudly, standing up and hitting the earth box.

"Toph, please try and be more supportive," Katara pleaded, taking her hand away from the earth. She turned to face Eira. "Did you find Sokka?"

"Oh, yeah. He's stuck in a hole in the ground and I need Toph to get him out," Eira explained off-handedly. She was reasonably distracted by the guilt of Aang's current situation.

"What!?" Katara exclaimed. "How did he manage to do that?!"

"It involves a lion-moose cub. It's easier to show than explain but I think he'd appreciate it if Toph got him out. I tried pulling him out but he's _reeeeealy _stuck."

"Fine. I'll go get him," Toph said bluntly. "If you're not out of there soon, Twinkle Toes…" Toph didn't finish. "Show me where the dolt is."

Eira stared guiltily at the box. "You _can_ do this, Aang. I _know_ you can."

There was a pause of silence.

"Thank you, Eira. I know you're trying to help, even if it's not that helpful."

"Come on, Fairy feet!" Toph said sharply, pulling at Eira's sleeve impatiently.

Eira sighed internally and walked off with Toph, showing her the way to Sokka.

"There." Eira pointed to Sokka, who was now being sat on by the small cub and Eira was glad that its mother wasn't around.

Toph laughed loudly, mimicking Eira's own reaction to Sokka being trapped.

Eira smiled.

"Yeah, I know, it's ridiculous, but it'd be best if you got him out before he gets in trouble with a raging sabre-toothed-moose-lion."

Toph happily walked over to Sokka and with a giant grin on her face, she slammed her foot to the ground and Sokka was thrown up into the air again, landing hard on the ground.

"Done!" Toph proclaimed proudly, brushing her hands together with satisfaction. "At least I can be happy about getting _one_ thing done today seeing as Aang's a failing student."

Eira frowned. She looked at Toph and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her around and stopping her from leaving.

"You know, Toph. You need to be a bit easier on him," she said quietly. "He's twelve and has the fate of the world on his shoulders. I know he's the same age as you but think about it this way: he's got all these people with expectations that are too high." Eira studied Toph's reactions discreetly.

"They expect him to be able to master all elements in a year, to stop the Fire Lord, to _kill_ him. When people have too many expectations, they need people to look out for them. If they don't, the stress of it all can really hurt them." She noticed a small flicker of emotion on Toph's face. Maybe she was relating that to her own life.

She was pressured into a role she couldn't play, the helpless, weak daughter of a rich family, and it caused her to not only be estranged from her family, but have to hide her true self.

Maybe she didn't know what it was like to have everything she knew destroyed, but she did know what it was like to have people not understand you.

"Aang woke up for the first time in a hundred years only a couple of months ago," Eira continued. "He woke up to be told that everyone he knew was dead. That he was the last of his kind. That he had to stop a war by the end of this summer, or the world as we know it would be destroyed. He _needs_ to be told that he can do this. We need to support him."

Toph stayed quiet, before she punched Eira in the arm, but not as hard as Eira would've thought.

"Fine, Fairy Feet. I'll be _nicer_ to him. I'll be _supportive_ to him_._ I'll try my best."

"Thanks, Toph. Once he breaks though this wall, I know he'll be a great earthbender." She smiled wider. "Though, never as great as the _Arglwydd Melon_."

"Who?" Toph asked. Eira shook her head.

"You'll find out later."

"I hate it when people talk like that," Toph grumbled under her breath.

Sokka walked up to them and put his arms around their shoulders.

"Well, I'm sorry to break up this little chat but can we go back to camp now. I'm hungry." _Subtle as ever Sokka._ Eira thought.

"Okay then, and who knows, maybe Aang's gotten out by now," Eira suggested as they all began to walk back to camp.

The walk was silent and Eira was appreciating the clouds slowly covering the sky. It had been getting a bit warmer than Eira would've liked. It didn't help already that the area was so dry.

Katara was sitting next to Aang's box and looking quite upset and worried. She looked at them approaching and quickly stood up.

"Sokka, you're alright! That's a relief. When Eira said you were stuck in a hole I was so worried and Aang still hasn't managed to get out and-"

"Its fine, Katara," Eira said, looking at Toph. "I'm pretty sure Sokka wasn't hurt, right?" Eira looked back at Sokka and he quickly pulled a dramatic expression.

"Of course I was!" he protested. "The emotional trauma of-"

"He's fine. Now, I think Toph wants to tell Aang something."

Toph shrugged and walked over to the box.

"'K Twinkle Toes," Toph began, looking a bit sheepish for needing to apologise. "I'm sorry for how I acted before. It was unfair. But, I think I know how to help you out."

"I'm sorry too, Toph. I was just… frustrated when I couldn't earthbend. I can't even do it after trying for an entire day. I just… I just feel-" Aang began but Toph cut in before he could finish.

"It's alright. Okay, now listen. Place your hand on the wall," Toph instructed. "Now close your eyes. Focus on the earth, it's all around you and you can move it. You _can_ move it. You just need to focus on it. Ignore what you think you can do and just do it."

Everyone waited in silence as Toph looked intensely at the box and slowly, it began to warp. Its shape began to break apart and, bit by bit, a hole was formed in it until the wall completely crumbled and Aang was visible once the dust cleared.

"Aang!" Eira ran up and hugged him. "I'm so sorry for that but, you finally earthbent!"

"Congrats!" Sokka said cheerfully.

"Yeah!" Aang looked at a few of the rocks at his feet and managed to earthbend them out of his way. "Woo hoo!"

Aang's delight at being able to earthbend was incredible to watch. Toph looked at her student with pride and Eira smiled at her.

"Told you," Eira said teasingly as they all watched Aang happily. _Thank goodness, I didn't mess this up._ Eira thought, thoroughly relieved. Sometimes she got so stressed at the prospect she could just ruin the entire future of her friends that when it didn't happen, she was so happy.

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	9. Chapter 9-New Knowledge

**Phew! This chapter is loooooooong. It's almost two thousand words longer than usual but it's finally out! Woo hoo!**

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**Fairyglow2, you're never too late to the party and thanks for your review, you're awesome! (Even if you've made me look back on the first story and made me intensely cringe at my horrible writing now, I always find it mortifying when I realise people've read the first one)**

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Chapter 9: New Knowledge

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They were still in the more savannah-like area of the Earth Kingdom, sadly, and Eira was starting to really dislike it. It was just too hot and dry for her liking.

The land was barren except for a few shoots of grass, exactly like where they just were but Aang suddenly got excited as they flew over this area and he was determined to show them something.

He was sitting cross-legged on the hole-littered ground with a flute in his hands as Eira, Toph, Sokka and Katara stood behind him. Eira knew what he was going to show them, the singing groundhog-like creatures, but she was still interested. She knew that these things were different in real life.

"What's out here?" Sokka asked, looking around for what Aang had come here to show them.

Toph knelt and out her hand to the ground.

"There's a lot, surprisingly. There's hundreds of little-" she began but Aang turned around and raised a finger to his lips in a _shhh_-ing motion.

"I know you can see underground, but don't ruin the surprise. Just watch." He blew a note on the flute and one of the small mammals popped out of the ground and mimicked the note. Aang laughed. "Yeah!" He played another note and another animal mimicked that too.

Aang turned around to face them, a big smile on his face. "I'm getting an orchestra together."

"That's really cool." Eira hummed a few notes and the groundhog-creatures popped out of the ground in the same sequence.

"Well, la-di-da," Sokka said, making annoyed, over-exaggerated hand-gestures. Then, of course, the animals popped out and hummed _la-di-da_. Eira, Toph, Katara and Aang laughed before Aang played four more notes and Momo jumped around, hole-to-hole, trying to catch them.

It was surprisingly entertaining and they all took turns to hum/sing notes and have them copy it. Well, all except Sokka. He was just getting annoyed by it and eventually just took Aang's flute. Aang puffed up his cheeks in an annoyed expression.

"This is great and fun and all, but don't we have more important things to worry about? We should be making plans, not playing around with singing ground animals," Sokka said, annoyed.

Eira punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Lighten up, it's been quite stressful lately and we were thinking that we could help us to relax and get to know Toph a bit better by having a day or two to do some sightseeing," Eira explained.

"Yeah, we're picking mini-vacations," Toph summed up.

"But we have no time for vacations."

"Come on, Sokka. Aang's been training hard with me and Toph. What's wrong with having a little time to ourselves?" Katara asked.

"Yeah, but even if Aang masters all of the elements, then what? It's not like we have a map of the Fire Nation."

"But, we kind of do. The map Master Pakku gave us is a little out-dated but it does show key area of the Fire Nation," Eira said.

"But not specifics. We need a map of the Fire Nation."

"And like we're going to find one in the middle of the Earth Kingdom which, may I remind you, has been at war with the Fire Nation for a hundred years. It's highly unlikely that there are going to be any detailed maps of their enemy for the general public."

Sokka sighed. "We still need _something_. We need to think this through. We need some intelligence to win this war."

Aang sneakily took his flute back and played a small note which caused an animal to pop out near where Sokka was standing.

"All right, we'll just finish our vacations and _then_ we'll look for Sokka's intelligence," Katara said mockingly. Aang laughed.

He brought out the map and laid it out in front of Katara.

"It's your turn. Where would you like to go on your mini-vacation?"

Katara studied the map and Eira had a bad flashback and groaned. It was the Library episode. More difficulties to deal with. More desserts, more annoying spirits, more turmoil and losing Appa. Perfect. _Wait! _Eira had forgotten. She could just save Appa from the sandbenders. But, then again, in the library she could stop Sokka from angering the owl and she could maybe find out about her situation and if she could get back.

If she stopped Sokka it would also mean that the library would stay around and they could visit after the war. But she didn't want Aang to go through losing Appa. She wanted to help her friends, not make them go through emotional pain even though she could prevent it.

She hated feeling selfish.

"…That sounds refreshing."

"Oh, yeah, I've been there. It's a pristine natural ice spring. And I usually don't use the word 'pristine'."

"That sounds amazing," Katara exclaimed.

"Yeah, it's one of nature's wonders."

"Then let's go already!" Toph complained, already on the saddle.

Everyone quickly jumped onto Appa's saddle and with great enthusiasm, Aang flicked the reins and Appa flew off in the direction of the oasis.

o.O.o

They landed in a small little dusty town in the middle of a desert and Eira found out that she disliked deserts even more than the barren canyons.

The town was littered with shady men wearing white headdresses and eye coverings. Their blank gases felt like they attached onto anything worth stealing. Eira couldn't help but feel a little intimidated by the unfriendly atmosphere.

The oasis itself was a small clay fountain which was filled with murky water. The disappointment on Sokka, Aang and Katara's faces was clear whilst Toph and Eira simply wore dissatisfied expressions due to Eira prior knowledge of the state of the oasis and Toph's inability to see said oasis.

"Must've changed ownership since I was here," Aang said, laughing sheepishly as he and Katara wandered forwards.

"It's been a hundred years, that's incredibly likely," Eira commented, trying to make Aang feel a little better. "They have some little places we could have a drink in, so this might not be a complete waste." Eira pointed to a couple of small bars side by side.

They all walked aimlessly past the melted ice spring and walked past several sandbenders into the bar.

Eira counted and there were about five of them. _And one of Appa._ She thought bitterly. What kind of life did you live is you just went around the desert, stealing people's lifelines. Eira hadn't thought about it much but she realised that if they went around stealing things from people in the desert, there were probably some people who died of thirst or something else because of them.

The bar was dark and full of weary travellers and they quickly sat at a table, Katara having to pull Sokka from staring at a spitting sandbender.

"Well, this place is… nice," Eira said, trying to sound sincere. Aang was starting to look even more embarrassed and Eira wished that she could make him feel better. It wasn't his fault some places changed after his hundred year absence.

"One mango, please." A man ordered a drink at the bar and the bartender took two long swords and used them to slice a bowl from a large chunk of ice (how it managed to stay frozen, Eira had no idea) then cutting down some mangos from an overhanging fruit tree. He diced them up and tipped some water or something into the bowl, mixing it with the fruit, still using his swords to do it.

The bartender placed a decorative paper umbrella and a straw into the bowl and served it to the man who tossed him a coin.

Despite the unnecessary flair with the swords, the drink itself did look nice and refreshing and Sokka apparently was thinking the same thing.

"I don't see anything wrong with having one of those fruity beverages while we plan our strategy," he said slowly, trying to act cool, before running over to the bartender.

"I'll come with you." Eira got up and walked over to the bar but she accidentally bumped into the man who'd ordered the drink.

And, sadly, the drink spilled all over Eira.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" Eira quickly stammered. "My fault, sorry." She threw her hands down at her clothes and the drink airbent off her.

The man gasped in shock and Eira realised it might not have been the best idea to airbend in front of a stranger. They had been gone for a hundred years, after all.

"You're a living relic!" the man exclaimed and Eira waved her hands quickly in denial.

"I'm really not. I'm not a nomad but-" Eira began but then the man noticed Aang behind Eira and gasped even more.

"An Air Nomad, right in front of me!" he rushed over to Aang and shook his hand. "Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se University." His eyes widened as he examined Aang's electric blue tattoos and Eira thought that he was going to faint by how much her was gasping.

She was glad that Aang was there so she didn't disappoint the professor by telling him that she knew almost nothing of airbender culture.

"Tell me, which of the air temples do you and your friend hail from?" Zei asked, looking closer at the tattoo on Aang's arm.

"I'm from the Southern Temple. Eira doesn't come from a temple," Aang explained as Zei pulled out some sort of measuring thing to measure his head.

"Oh, splendid! Where do you come from then?" he asked, turning to Eira.

_Quick lie, lie, lie, lie!_ Eira thought in a panic.

"I've just been travelling around the Earth Kingdom and Water Tribes."

"Excellent! I've got to write this down! What was the primary agricultural product of the Air Nomads?"

Aang looked a bit unsurely at Professor Zei. "Uh, are fruit pies an agricultural product?" Aang asked nervously.

"This is truly fascinating. I'll be able to update the Air Nomad library in the Ba Sing Se University finally. This is incredible!" Zei pulled out a small leather notebook and began to write in it. He looked friendly and Eira knew that he had no ill will but she couldn't really think of Ba Sing Se without feeling slightly creeped out.

He wore white robes and hat but Eira was surprised by the amount of stuff he was carrying on his person despite the heat. He had a large green rucksack filled to the brim with miscellaneous items for travel and research.

"So Professor, you're obviously a well-travelled guy. Do you have a more detailed map of the Fire Nation we could look at? Ours is a little vague."

Professor Zei stopped writing in his journal and looked a little surprised at Sokka's question.

"Uh, I-I think I might have a map of the Fire Nation but I can't vouch for its detail." Zei rummaged through his bag and laid a map on the table.

Sokka and Eira looked at it carefully, comparing it with the map they had and it was basically just a larger version of theirs except it was a couple of years older.

"Doesn't anyone have a good map of the Fire Nation?" Sokka complained, straightening to look at Professor Zei.

He rolled it up and stuck it back into his bag.

"I don't think there are many in the Earth Kingdom. Ba Sing Se is the height of all knowledge and culture in the Earth Kingdom and that map was from their libraries." He paused. "There may be one library that would have the information you need but," he sighed. "I've been on countless journeys to find it and each time it ended in failure."

"Wan Shi Tong's Library," Eira concluded without thinking. The professor looked at her with delight.

"You've heard of it?" Eira nodded slowly and looked at Katara, Sokka and Aang sadly.

"Wan Shi Tong's library is where Zhao got the information to find the Moon and Ocean Spirits. It's located in this desert but from what I know, it's been half-buried with sand. But, if we find it, we'd be able to get information on practically anything, including the Fire Nation."

_Well, any information that isn't burnt to the ground, that is._

Then Eira thought of something else. If they didn't go to the Library, they wouldn't find the eclipse date. That would mean that they wouldn't form the invasion plan as well as Appa not getting captured. If they didn't go to the Library, so many future conflicts would be solved but… then Zuko wouldn't have an opportunity to rebel against his father.

He would continue to fight against them and Aang would never learn firebending in time to take down the Fire Lord. It was incredible how many things relied on their library visit but, which would be better for them?

Zei's eyebrows shot up in surprise as he readied his journal.

"Please, tell me more. Do you know where it is?" he asked hopefully.

Eira jumped a bit, being shocked out of her thoughts. She paused as she registered the question. Should she?

"No, I don't know where it is," she said quietly. "But, but, I know how we can find it." _I will save Appa and if it comes to it I will stop Azula. Maybe this way the Day of Black Sun will succeed._

"But the desert is gigantic. I've almost died every time I've travelled into it."

Sokka and Aang smiled as they looked at each other.

"I've made my decision for my mini-vacation," Sokka announced cheerfully. He pulled a dramatic pose. "We're going… TO THE LIBRARY!"

Toph looked annoyed as she sipped her drink.

"Hey, I thought it went Aang, Katara, Me, Eira, and then you. What about me and Eira's turn?" she asked.

Eira shrugged.

"Sokka's is closest and we still haven't decided. I think we can do ours after Sokka's." Toph huffed.

"Fine. Let's just fly through a desert for the entire day looking for some dusty old library. Perfect for me," she muttered in annoyance.

"Wait, fly?" Professor Zei looked confused as he looked in-between them.

"Professor, would you like to see our sky bison?" Sokka asked with a large smile.

"A sky bison?! You actually have one?" The professor looked like he was giddy from excitement.

"Yes, he's-" Aang started, pointing to the exit and Professor Zei sped off towards it and outside in no time at all.

"He's already gone…" Eira finished under her breathe.

They all walked out and Eira's heart jumped before settling as she saw Professor Zei shooing off some sandbenders.

"Sandbenders, away from the bison!" he yelled, making shooing motions as he quickly paced over to Appa. Eira sped-walked over to there and was unhappy to see the sandbenders speeding off into the desert.

_You made the choice to inform them about the library,_ she thought, clenching her fists to try and hide her panic. _Now you need to make the choices to save Appa. He won't be captured._

Eira cleared her throat and motioned to Appa's saddle.

"After you, professor," she said politely, directing him to walk up Appa's sloped tail up onto the saddle.

Katara, Aang, Sokka, Eira and Toph all climbed up onto the saddle and they began their journey into the desert, much to Eira's quickly growing dismay.

"Why…is…it…so…bleeding…hot?" She complained as the sun figuratively beat her over the head with a frying pan. She was leaning on the side of the saddle, using her tired eyes to survey the blank, empty landscape of red-ish sand.

Sokka had taken off his shirt and tied it around his head. He was examining a telescope and looking out as Aang steered Appa and Katara and Toph leant against the sides and searched for the library.

"We know, it's hot! Stop complaining!" Toph scolded. Eira frowned, not having the energy to look at Toph, not that it would matter either way.

"I am British. It is in my nature to complain about the weather. You're all lucky I was toning it down in the North Pole and the past few days. I'm not adaptable to this kind of stuff. Where I'm from it's practically the same every day. Grey, cloudy skies and slightly below-average temperatures."

"Um, where are you from exactly?" Toph asked. Eira then realised that Toph didn't actually know about her whole 'from-another-world' thing.

"Oh yeah," Eira looked up and remembered that Professor Zei was there. "It's, uh, kind of hard to explain. It doesn't matter now."

The professor looked a little disappointed but Eira wasn't going to elaborate. Sure this guy believed in spirits considering Wan Shi Tong's spirit library but it was still a stretch to believe in alternate worlds and spirit abduction.

The professor however wasn't discouraged as he climbed over Appa's head and gazed at him.

"Tell me, noble sky bison, are you the last of your breed?" he asked enthusiastically and Appa simply growled in response. "Ha! Delightful! I only wish I spoke his tongue. All the stories you could tell." Momo pranced over to him and chittered but Zei held out his hand to silence him. "Shush, chatty monkey."

Eira sighed as she continued looking at the stupidly empty desert. _Someone should just pour a massive bucket of water on this place. An ocean would be so much nicer._

"Remember, the library is somewhat covered in sand. It won't be a massive building or we would've found it already."

"Gah! Does this place even exist?!" Toph groaned in frustration.

"Yes, it does Toph. I happen to know because a psychopathic firebender almost got rid of all waterbenders because of said library." Eira was getting far too tired from the heat.

"I get it, Fairy Feet."

"Come on, guys. We need to find this place, so keep a lookout," Katara said quietly, her tone clearly indicating that she was getting frustrated with their bickering.

They continued flying in silence until Sokka finally reacted.

"Wait! Down there, what's that?"

Everyone scrambled to the side that Sokka was looking at and Eira noticed the small stone tower popping out of the sandy surface.

Aang turned the reins and they landed in front of it. It looked much taller from the ground than from the sky, like eight times her height. It looked incredibly designed and built.

"Well, this should be it," Aang said, holding up the drawing of the library and comparing it to the tower in front of them. He pointed to the top of drawing that corresponded to the tower.

Professor Zei gazed at it in horror.

"My life's work is buried under tonnes of sand!" He collapsed to the floor and knelt in despair. "Well, let's get excavating." _Well, he recovers quickly…_ He began to dig at the sand with a small little spade but Toph stopped him.

She walked over to the tower and placed her palm on it.

"Wow! It's still completely intact, and it's _huge_. There's a window above and you should be able to climb down from there. There's a floor beneath it."

"Then I say we should give it a look," Sokka said, rummaging through his bag for a rope. Eira looked around and gasped quietly as she saw a fox holding a scroll in its mouth.

"Hey, look. There's one of his fox helpers," Katara said, pointing at the fox, noticing it at roughly the same time as Eira. They all watched (obvious exception being Toph) as the fox leaped of the dune and sprinted up the side of the wall and into the window that Toph pointed out.

"Perfect!" Sokka said, swinging the rope up to the window. "We have a library to visit."

"Not me," Toph said, staying still.

"Why not?" Katara asked.

"Well, I've held books before and, I gotta tell you, they don't exactly do it for me." Toph waved a hand in front of her eyes and Katara looked sheepish.

"Oh, right. Sorry." The rest of them moved towards the ladder when Eira quickly rememberd.

"Wait!" Eira held out her hands to stop everyone from moving towards the rope. She was an idiot. She almost forgot! "Someone needs to stay here with Toph."

"Why? I'm fine on my own." Toph crossed her arms defensively.

"Not if you have to protect Appa and the library from an ambush of sandbenders," Eira retorted. "Look, Toph. You're the best earthbender in the world, no doubt about that, but I know you can't see as well in the desert and I'm worried that something will happen to the library. I'm not too fond of spirits and I know a lot of them feel the same way about humans."

"But, that's incredibly unlikely for something to happen to the library at the same time as sandbenders attacking," Katara protested.

"Not as unlikely as you'd think. Those sandbenders probably patrol around and wait for moments when they can attack and steal. Trust me, I've seen things like that and I know what they'd do. I just... want to be on the safe side."

Katara and Sokka looked a little sceptical but Katara's expression softened as she looked at Eira.

"Alright, then. If it makes you feel better, I'll stay here with Toph." Eira visibly relaxed and hugged Katara.

"Thank you. I know I may seem a bit ridiculous but this really means a lot."

"Heh hem." Sokka cleared his throat loudly. "Now that little bit of Eira craziness is over, can we please get going now?"

Eira nodded.

o.O.o

They all climbed down the rope and Eira was in awe about the size of the place. It was incredible. There were floors and floors of bookshelves with owls engraved arches. It was incredibly expansive and Eira could barely believe she was in it.

"Oh, it's breath-taking!" Zei exclaimed, pointing around at the architecture. "The spirit spared no expense in designing this place. Look at those beautiful buttresses!"

Sokka and Aang tried to hide their laughter, but they completely failed. The professor didn't get the joke and Eira wasn't sure whether it would be better or worse if he got it.

"What's funny?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing. We just like architecture," Aang said.

"As do I." Professor Zei still looked in awe at the library and Eira couldn't help but pity his ignorance.

They slid off the rope and landed on a bridge.

"Wow! This is incredible. I wonder how this was built." Eira gazed up at the dome on the ceiling. It was one of the most impressive buildings she'd ever seen.

"My word!" Professor Zei pointed at the owl designs on the arches. "The exquisite mosaic handiwork of this tile-rendered avian symbol..." he trailed off as Sokka and Aang gave him puzzled looks and Eira didn't know whether or not to be proud as she actually understood him. "Eh, nice owl."

A cold shiver ran down Eira's spine as she suddenly heard a rustling noise. Everyone darted behind the pillars and Eira saw a slight rush of black feathers.

_Lovely. Another spirit. Let's hope we don't have another trip to the spirit world._ Eira thought grimly. She didn't remember her last trip fondly in the slightest.

Aang turned his head slowly to try and get a glance of Wan Shi Tong.

"I know you're back there," announced a booming, oddly echoing voice and Aang spanned his head back to hide again. Professor Zei took a deep breath to get over his momentary shock and ran out of his hiding place.

"Hello, I'm Professor Zei, head of anthropology at Ba Sing Se," he greeted respectfully, a large smiled on his face as Eira, Sokka and Aang carefully walked out of their hiding places.

Wan Shi Tong was a massive bird. His face had white feathers, a small sharp beak and black eyes. His body was tall and imposing but Eira found herself fascinated by how his wings seemed to melt into his body. When they were folded Eira could barely tell he had wings.

"You should leave the way you came. Unless you want to become the _stuffed_ head of anthropology." Wan Shi Tong looked to the side a motioned to three stuffed animal heads hung on a pillar. Professor Zei moaned in shock and clutched his neck nervously.

_Is it just me, or does his mouth not move in sync with his mouth? I have a feeling that will start to bug me soon,_ Eira thought

"You're the spirit who brought this library to the physical world?" Sokka asked, walking a bit closer to the spirit.

"Indeed. I am Wan Shi Tong, 'He Who Knows Ten Thousand Things'. And you are obviously humans, which, by the way, are no longer permitted in my study."

"But, we're here for innocent knowledge. We just want to find out more things about this and the spirit world," Eira said, stepping forward.

"Hm! Innocent knowledge. Humans don't understand the concept of _innocent_ knowledge. They only seek out knowledge to get the edge on other humans. Like that firebender who came to this place a few years ago, looking to destroy his enemy." He leaned towards Eira who had to use a lot of her willpower not to shy away. It was hard considering how his slowly blinking beady eyes were staring blankly and he was _huge_! "So, who are you trying to destroy?"

"W-We are not like Zhao," Eira said slowly, trying to stay calm and think about her words. "We are not here seeking to destroy enemies or your knowledge. We are here to learn more about the nations. I'd like to learn more about airbenders and the Air Nomads personally," Eira added, trying to seem more truthful, worried that she was acting too formal and suspicious.

Wan Shi Tong's eyes continued staring and Eira was beginning to lose her nerve. What if he didn't believe her? What if he knew what they were actually going to do concerning the Fire Nation? What if-

"Hm." Wan Shi Tong flapped his wings and stood up straighter. "Very well. I'll let you peruse my vast collection, on one condition." Everyone's hopeful expressions wavered slightly, worried about the condition. Eira, however, was more worried because of the fact that she forgot. What could she give to him? "To prove your worth as scholars, you have to contribute something some worthwhile knowledge."

_I mean, I would write something down or something but then he wouldn't even understand it,_ Eira thought, annoyed. _I guess I might have something left over from what the Northern Water Tribe gave us for our travels but would that even count?_

Professor Zei pulled a book out of his bag and knelt down, presenting it to the spirit.

"Please accept this tome as a donation to your library," he said respectfully.

Wan Shi Tong looked down at him and swiped a wing at it, taking it away from him.

"First edition, very nice." Aang looked thoughtfully and excitedly pulled out the wanted poster from the Fire Festival they went to.

"Tah, dah!" He presented it to the spirit and Wan Shi Tong let out a small sigh.

"I suppose that counts." He took the poster and turned to Eira and Sokka, who were still thinking about what to do.

Eira rummaged through her bag and eventually presented a small scroll she'd taken from the North Pole, it was a calendar. When they set off for the Earth Kingdom, they'd packed some things for preparation.

"Is this okay?" she asked, holding it up. Wan Shi Tong nodded and swiped a wing at it, taking it in a swift movement.

"Stylish illustrations and calligraphy," he commented.

They all turned to Sokka who walked up confidently. "Oh, great spirit," he started before showing his hand which contained a piece of string. "Check this out." He quickly tied the spring into an intricate knot in the shape of a butterfly and showed it to him with a wide smile. "It's a special knot. That counts as knowledge."

Everyone stood in silence.

"You're not the brightest. Are you?" Sokka frowned in indignation as Wan Shi Tong took the knot. "Enjoy the library." He jumped of the bridge and flew down into the lower floors of the library.

"Bright enough to fool you," Sokka mumbled, narrowing his eyes and Eira shot a look at him.

"Sokka. You do realise that he has the power to easily kill us right? We need to be careful. We _can't_ offend spirits. I think Tui and La's treatment of Zhao after he tried to kill them should be enough evidence of that." _Once again, I still find it strange I'm saying these things._ Eira shook her head in self-disbelief. It just sounded so strange to hear herself talking about offending spirits, no matter how much she says it.

Sokka stayed quiet but he took the withering look Eira was giving him seriously.

"Fine. Let's just find that map and info quickly and get out of here," he muttered under his breath.

They walked through the library and looked through shelves and selves of scrolls and books. Sokka's plans of quickly finding the information they needed soon evaporated as they all got caught up in the mass of knowledge surrounding them, Professor Zei in particular.

Eira looked at a random scroll and smiled as she saw beautiful illustrations of lion turtles. There were four of them and each one looked slightly different. They were subtle differences, but interesting.

"Hey, Aang. Look at these lion turtle things," Eira said, showing him the drawings. Aang smiled widely.

"Wow, they look so cool." Sokka shrugged as he pulled a book of the bookshelf with two symbols on it that Eira read as "child" and "white".

"I've seen cooler." Eira looked at him incredulously and raised an eyebrow. _Seriously, Sokka?_

EIra put the scroll back and pulled out another book. It was a book about the Avatar and his past lives.

She flicked through the pages absently and was slightly surprised to read about Avatar Yangchen's section. She knew that she told Aang to ignore the peaceful teaching of the monks in favour of saving the world but Eira never knew she took her own worlds to heart.

From what she read, at the start of her avatar training, crime started to increase as people assumes airbender avatars were weaker but… crime went down quite quickly once she disproved those assumptions.

Eira decided to keep the book for a while, for further reference, and moved to another bookshelf.

She didn't want to say it in front of Aang and Sokka, but Eira actually really wanted to learn more about the spirits, and if there was a way for her to get back home.

She was by no means going to leave before they defeated the Fire Lord, she made her promise to Aang, but she still wanted to go home someday. Eira needed to see her family again, she didn't want to leave them thinking that she'd run away or worse. She missed her home and no matter how much she loved being with Katara, Sokka, Aang and Toph, she was going to go back after the war was finished.

She walked off a bit, looking around a bit for one of the fox helpers.

"Hello? Um, do you know where anything about spirit travel or other worlds would be?" Eira said aloud and she turned around quickly as she heard a noise behind her.

Bingo! A fox stared up at her and pointed with his nose. "So, it's that way? Great. Lead the way." The fox ran off and Eira jogged after it. They went across another bridge and down a flight of stairs to a particularly old section of the library.

It wasn't as clean as the other sections. The bookshelves were slightly worn down compared the the ones upstairs and the scrolls and books didn't appear to be in any order, just piled on top of each other.

"Okay, so I just need to get through… all of this… yay!" Eira said, enthusiasm diminishing as she walked up to the shelves. It was never going to be as easy as pointing out, "oh, here's the information you need to travel through the spirit world and get back to your own, solving all of your problems along the way". _I can only dream,_ Eira thought as she began her search.

_Indexes on different spirits, nope. Story of Raava and Vaatu, nope. Origins of bending, maybe? Mortal world, nope. Gah!_ They all sounded interesting but they were all on the wrong topics. It was beginning to just become annoying looking at all the spirits in the diagrams and knowing full well that it was their fault that she was there.

Honestly, she didn't even _need_ to be brought into the A:TLA world considering how they stopped the Fire Lord anyway and she was pretty sure Aang would have at least one airbender kid. They didn't need another airbender, well, okay they kind of did but they didn't _have_ to abduct someone to get one.

Eira skimmed a few books, occasionally keeping one of two for future information, until she finally found one about spirit travel that actually had useful information.

"Finally," Eira whispered as she read through it.

W_hile mortals have physical bodies, they also have spirits. These spirits, if connected with, can be used to travel using the spirit world._

_It can be used for astral projections in dire circumstances, other forms of communications and reaching greater levels of bending mastery. Airbenders are taught to have simple lives and clear minds, unconnected to the mortal world and by doing so, the majority of mortals capable of spirit travel are airbenders. _

_The non-physical aspects of their bending also helps them maintain this spiritual method of travel as by being able to control something non-physical, they're inherently more prepared. Earthbenders are known as being the weakest spiritually due to being the opposite of airbenders and being very material. _

_The mortal world is not the only connected plane of existence to the spirit world and other mortal realms do exist. However, these worlds aren't directly linked with the spirit world and travelling to these worlds is near impossible unless one becomes a spirit or has lost all material binding to the earth…_ Eira trailed off as she read it in her head.

Her eyebrows knitted together as she took in the information. It sounded incredibly difficult, but thankfully, it sounded possible. And, she was an airbender, thanks to the spirits so it would at least be a little easier, right?_ But would this mean that I'd have to master airbending to do it?_ _Would that also come with needing tattoos?_

Eira shook her head to clear her thoughts as she slammed the book shut. She had her information. That was it. That was all she needed. There was no need to waste time thinking on impossibilities at the moment. She would have plenty of time to sort it out after the war was over.

She got up and jogged back up to where she'd left the others and was mildly surprised to see that they weren't there.

"Um, guys?" Eira called, walking slowly through the library, looking for them.

She tried to be direct but kept on getting distracted by random books that caught her eye. She found that books on the different cultures and animals of the nations, particularly the Air nation caught her eye, mainly due to the fact that the actual show didn't offer too much information on them due to the genocide.

She collected a few interesting ones until she ran into a circular room with all of them gazing up at a painted sky and mechanical machine.

They turned around to face her as she walked in and Aang smiled at her.

"Oh, hey Eira. Where were you?" he asked. Eira shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was just seeing whether or not I would be able to find some information that the Fire Nation didn't destroy," she explained as she walked closer to the middle of the room. "This room looks amazing."

"It's some sort of mechanical calendar," Professor Zei said, his excitement only barely contained enough to stop all of the books in his hands from falling.

Sokka turned the dials in the centre of the room and pulled the lever a metre away and suddenly, the room started changing, the lighting in the domed ceiling changed from day to night, day to night until it settled on night, or at least, that's what it looked like.

"It's an eclipse," Sokka gasped. "That's it! Fir-"

"Shhh!" Eira hissed, cutting him off. "But it would be interesting to see when the next eclipse is. They're very interesting events," Eira spoke very sharply, the message clearly being _"the owl is listening, don't talk about defeating the Fire Nation"_

Sokka looked at her, puzzled but then his eyes widened as he got it.

"Oooooh yeah. I love eclipses. So interesting. Yeah, let's see when the next one is."

"What are you guys talking about? Why do we need to find out when the next eclipse is?"

"To destroy your enemies." Eira's blood turned cold as a low booming voice suddenly spoke up and a dark shadow grew from behind them. She turned around slowly to see Wan Shi Tong's white face towering over them.

Eira stepped back a little, her willpower from before failing as this was undeniably even more terrifying.

"Humans are so predictable, and such terrible liars. You have betrayed my knowledge. You intended to misuse this knowledge for evil purposes."

"But, we didn't lie!" Eira protested, taking another step back and slowly taking her staff into her hand. "We _did_ come here for more information about the nations and I _did_ come here for more information about the spirit world. We're using this information to help more than two thirds of the world, doesn't _that _count of using knowledge for good. The way you're hording this knowledge isn't useful to anyone and, yes, human's use things like this to get the better of each other but there's a line where you know it's for the better."

"You think you know what's for the better? You think you know better than any other mortal who's come here, to abuse my library?! You know nothing of the world, humans know only of themselves. That's why you're here, not to help anyone else, but yourself."

Eira couldn't respond. Because she couldn't deny that. In the end, she knew they didn't need the information about the eclipse, she knew that knowing about the eclipse is what caused many people to be sent to prison or worse. Did…Did she just come to the library to selfishly get information about getting home?

Wan Shi Tong seemed to take her silence for confirmation.

"It seems even you realise it. I commend you for being one of the few humans who do, but you have all stolen information from me, and I'm taking it back." Wan Shi Tong flapped his wings and the building started to shake.

Professor Zei, Aang, Sokka and Eira staggered to stable themselves.

"What are you doing?!" Aang exclaimed, yelling to be heard over the rumble of the shaking building.

"I'm taking my knowledge back. No one will ever abuse it again." The building let out a tremor and sand shook down from the ceiling.

For the first time since being down there, Eira was suddenly faced with the realisation that they were underground. And she was about to buried alive. Again!

"We've got to get out of here! Now!" Eira cried and began to turn towards the exit.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that. You already know too much." He dived at them, thankfully missing and Eira on impulse slashed her staff, the adrenaline causing a massive strike of air to push him backwards into the other wall, causing a cloud of dust to fill the room as they ran out.

They ran out, Eira positively flipping out at the prospect of the library collapsing, and it seemed that knowledge spirits recovered quickly as he burst out of the opening, completely shattering it.

They all ran for their lives but Professor Zei was still determined to reason with Wan Shi Tong.

"Please, Great Knowledge Spirit, I beg you, do not destroy your vast collection of priceless tomes." Wan Shi Tong reared up and prepared to attack but Aang used his airbending to pull Zei towards them, following with a massive air blast that struck him and sent Wan Shi Tong over the edge.

"We need to get back to the surface!" Aang said as he began to move towards the direction where they'd entered from.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get out of here quickly," Eira said quickly, glancing up at the sand coming down from the ceiling nervously.

"But we don't know when the next eclipse is going to happen," Sokka protested, looking back towards the circular room.

"We don't need to know!"

"Yes, we do! The eclipse leaves firebenders completely helpless. We need to use that somehow! "

"But-!"

"Just take the Professor and go!" Sokka ordered.

Wan Shi Tong burst out from between them and turned towards Eira and Professor Zei.

"Go!" Eira didn't need him to repeat. She sprinted for her life away from the chasing spirit. She ran into a maze of bookshelves and tried to swerve in between them, hoping he wasn't very agile.

Eira darted away from a bookshelf that Wan Shi Tong had just burst through and hid in a small notch of bookcases to try and think of a way out.

_Damnnit guys! Please hurry up!_ She thought desperately. Why didn't she just all together stop them from going here?! _You won't get anywhere just regretting your choices,_ she scolded, mentally slapping herself. _Just deal with it!_

Wan Shi Tong dived at the bookshelf she was hiding behind and she rolled away and jumped up, opening her glider mid-jump and flying further away from the spirit to buy more time.

She landed on the bridge that they'd first landed on and she flicked her staff back, taking an offensive pose as Wan Shi Tong turned around, his wings half-open in an intimidating gesture.

"You may be an irregular airbender but I've studied airbending for centuries. There's nothing you can do to defeat me."

He dived at her and Eira jumped up high into the air. She slashed her staff through the air and somehow managed to pull of the strongest airbending she'd ever managed to do. An almost Aang-level force of air was channelled into Wan Shi Tong's direction and caught his wings. He was thrown backwards into his bookshelves and Eira span her hands around to send him spiralling into the wall.

He didn't get back up. For once.

"Oh yeah?" she gasped, exhausted. "Take that."

"Eira! We've got it!" Eira looked up and saw Sokka and Aang running towards her.

"Wait? Where's your scarf?" Aang asked. Eira looked and she only just noticed that her hair wasn't tied up in her scarf anymore.

She looked around but couldn't see where it had gone. Knowing her luck it was probably under a couple of crushed bookshelves.

"It doesn't matter," she breathed. "You missed the excitement, by the way." Eira gestured to the motionless Wan Shi Tong in the broken bookshelves.

Aang and Sokka looked at her in disbelief.

"How-?" Sokka began but Eira cut him off.

"We need to leave now, the library's still sinking and I doubt we have the time to exchange stories."

Eira, Aang and Sokka all began to climb the rope, but then Eira noticed Professor Zei. He had made almost a nest of books. And he wasn't leaving.

"Professor! You need to go!" Eira called.

"I'm not leaving!" he insisted, dropping his book and looking up at them. "I've spent too long trying to find this place." He looked up, his eyes glazed over and a wistful smile on his face. "I could spend an eternity in here."

_But, Wan Shi Tong will kill you!_ Eira wanted to scream sense at him, but her voice wouldn't work. She couldn't tell him to give up on this place… He wouldn't be able to…

"Just go!" Sokka yelled at her and, after a moment's hesitation, Eira continued to climb.

Wan Shi Tong let out a ear-bursting screech and the rope fell, Eira and Aang opened their gliders, Aang catching Sokka, and began to fly out. Wan Shi Tong flew up behind them as they shot out of the library into the desert where the library finally sank back into the ground.

Eira crashed into the hot sand and skidded, the sand scratching her skin like falling over on Astroturf.

She picked herself up and looked sadly at the now blank area where the tower of the library had been.

"It's completely gone," she muttered in disbelief.

Sokka ran over to Katara and Toph… and Appa! Eira was shaken out of her daze and smiled at the sight of their furry friend. She'd done it. She's done it! Her actions had saved Appa!

Eira ran over to Appa and hugged him.

"Appa, you're safe! I can't believe it!"

"I can't believe how well you predicted it, Eira." Eira turned around to face Katara who was looking at her with conflicting expressions.

"What do you mean?" Eira asked.

"I mean, you predicted that the library would sink _and_ that we'd get attacked by sandbenders who were after Appa." Katara crossed her arms. "You have to admit that's a little strange."

"Yeah, they might've actually taken Appa if Katara wasn't there and I was stuck keeping you guys from being buried," Toph added.

"Yeah, I agree it's strange. This may sound strange, but I just… _knew_ it," Eira said, knowing it was a weak explanation. "I know it's a weak argument and you probably won't believe me, but the good thing is that Appa's safe. It payed off and have a plan."

"There's a solar eclipse coming. The Fire Nation's in trouble, we've got a plan," Sokka explained. "If we tell the Earth King about it, we can pull off a full invasion of the Fire Nation without them even having their firebending."

"Then, let's go and get to Ba Sing Se," Aang announced, jumping onto Appa's head. They all climbed onto the saddle and flew off. Eira looked down at the empty desert with tinges of guilt. Professor Zei. The first person Eira couldn't save.

* * *

**Well, we've saved Appa. Now all of the implications of that and future decisions are all in the balance. What will Eira do? What the heck will I do next chapter or the chapter after that? Find out soon(ish)!**

**Please review and I hope you've enjoyed this chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10- Eira's Mini-holiday

**Welcome! Here's chapter 10 and it's a brand new story of Eira's mini-vacation*holiday*.**

**Well, let's get on with the show and I hope you enjoy it. Please remember to review, they help me focus on writing and stop procrastinating.**

* * *

Sokka and Katara were splayed over the dry ground and panting like dogs under the sun. Eira wrinkled her nose at the irritating dirt dried on her skin but when she tried to brush it off her arms just flopped around like gasping fish.

Eira envied the Water Tribe siblings. They were at least in Appa's big shadow for shade. The sun was less fierce than the one above the desert but they hadn't managed to escape its heat that easily. Hills surrounded what would have been an isolated grassland yet among the light grass and beige earth was the set-up of a rough park.

Stout podiums rose from the ground in a grid and two stones like oversized ceramic cups on their sides stood at their respective ends. It was set up like a pitch but it wasn't being used for any sport Eira knew of.

She darted out the way of a speeding stone sphere and was left wide-eyed at the thought of what would have happened if she'd been slower. She wanted to yell, 'You could have knocked my head off!' but sadly she'd already blown the budget of that particular phrase.

Apparently the aim of the game was to get the ball into the basket opposite you and if you fall off the pedestals you're out. Eira knew that she'd only survived this long because she was an airbender but Toph was not helping matters. Aang was doing better than her on the dodging front since evasion was his best skill but his style ended up with him spinning too often and having to change targets.

This game was perfect for Toph though. She stayed focused and where she was and seemed to be having a blast. Although, this was her treat so Eira couldn't blame her for enjoying herself.

Toph stood firmly while Aang and I watched her tentatively. Aang beamed and when he glanced at me and did so too. _We're going down_, Eira thought cheerily.

The ball was down her end so it had turned into Toph versus the airbenders. Toph grinned triumphantly and thrust her hands towards them, sending the stone rocketing towards Eira and Aang. It looked like a bullet but Aang leapt up into the air, twisted and a burst of air spun the sphere away from him. Eira caught a glimpse of a proud expression just before it flew at her.

She brought her arms around and made to redirect the rock but its path stayed annoying true. No wind followed her lead which unfortunately left her soon on the ground. She landed on her back and with an 'oof'.

Eira stayed lying down on the dirt, chuckling softly. She'd been an airbender for a long time now yet some things just didn't work for her yet. Her baguazhang training had helped her for a while but Eira didn't expect to become a master; she was just visiting in this world.

"Are you alright, Eira?" Katara shuffled closer to her friend, grinning tiredly.

"You'll be fine, Fairy Feet!" Toph called confidently from the pitch, pulling one of the stone podiums up higher to catch the ball in its track.

Eira nodded, something she found was much more difficult when facing the sky. "Yeah, I'll be fine. Come on, you guys!" she cheered to Aang as Toph as she sat herself up.

Katara smiled and brushed a loose strand of dark brown hair behind her ear. "Toph looks happy," she noted as the ball clattered once more into the goal behind Aang. Both contestants were grinning.

"Well, she shouldn't be. Go, Aang!" Sokka cupped his hands over his mouth and cheered on the one who _hadn't_ knocked him off in the first minutes.

Katara rapped her brother's arm sternly. "Don't do that."

Sokka pulled his face into one of sly innocence. "What? Support my friend?"

Red dotted the waterbender's cheeks but she was quick to retort. Eira listened happily but found her sky eyes wandering towards Toph. Something had been nagging at Eira. Aang, Katara, and Sokka all knew her secret: why she was blonde, why she spoke differently to them, why she was an airbender despite the fact that all but one should have been gone. Toph on the other hand was newer to them.

She'd joined quickly and was welcomed faster than that but Eira hadn't quite found the right opportunity to actually tell her. She almost did but then the professor had been around. Clouds swirled above her. Eira had decided. She was going to tell Toph, hoping quietly that this wouldn't be awkward. She rested her hand on her head, surprised at first but then remembering that she'd lost her headscarf.

"So..." Katara's voice captured Eira's attention. She was staring at Eira with a curious and kind spark in her blue eyes. "What do you want to do Eira? We may have a while before either of them loses so we might as well use this time wisely."

There was a small quiet. You could still hear Aang and Toph in the background along with Sokka's cheering however the distant noise was comforting. All the bags were sitting a small way away, sensibly out of range of the game, but it meant that Eira didn't have the map on her.

She shrugged and looked to Katara for advice. "I'm not sure. Do you have any ideas?"

Katara leant back and her eyes turned upwards in thought. "Oo, I know. How about we visit one of the air temples? You haven't had much opportunity to learn about your culture after all. It could be fun." She glanced around and sighed at the distance between her and their things. Katara turned back to Eira, smiling consistently.

"Yeah, I guess." To be honest, Eira had thought about the air temples, but for some reason she had a small nagging voice at the back of her head whenever she did. It made her feel... awkward? She didn't really know how to describe it. Eira would do anything to go home but that wasn't really an option... but maybe, just maybe, she could make do with what she had in the Earth Kingdom.

Climate-wise, at least some parts of the Earth Kingdom were similar to the UK, a bit too sunny and bright perhaps, but close enough with its greenery and mountains. Eira's eyes and smile widened, an idea charging her like lightning.

She rolled and made her way to her feet, sauntering over to their bags while Katara watched curiously. Eira, grinning, pulled the map out from her bag and sat down in between the two siblings. She tapped Sokka on the shoulder and presented the map to him.

"Sokka?"

He wrenched his eyes away from the match and stared at the map. "What is it, Eira?"

Eira hesitated, but only momentarily. In that moment, she made up her mind. "You're better at this than me, so do you know where a mountainous, forest-y kind of place would be? I'd like to visit a place like that. You know, for my holiday?"

"Where do you want to go?" Katara wondered, catching up to our conversation. Eira didn't answer. Instead, she turned to Sokka expectantly.

He cleared his throat and studied the green sections and the lines on the map. "I belieeeeeve..." he drawled while trying to buy himself some time. "...you would probably, maybe, want to go...here!" Sokka pointed at the closest forest spot to them; it was almost too perfect but Eira was not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. She beamed.

"Brilliant! We can go there af..."

Eira yelped as Aang fell but a puff of air caught him before any collision. Aang flew onto his feet and spun around so he could see us as well.

"Yeah! I am the champion!" Toph boasted, standing firmly with her fists on her hips and a crescent moon grin on her face. She whooped victoriously.

"Well done, Toph. Guess you won that."

Toph kept celebrating. Aang smiled benignly and met Eira's eyes. "So, Eira, where are we heading next?"

Eira beckoned him over and his eyes followed her finger to the green spot Sokka had pointed out. "Here. I've been kinda missing my home lately, so I thought it would be cool to go to a place that's like it. Mountains, forests, that's basically my home in a nutshell. All you would need to do is add some sheep."

Eira found her eyes lightning up unintentionally, but they dulled briefly with worry. Her sky eyes flickered to Toph but as they fell back, Katara caught them meaningfully. Katara smiled and nodded.

The blonde inhaled deeply. "Hey, Toph?"

The earthbender sat cross-legged on the podiums. "What're you worrying 'bout, Fairy Feet?"

Eira paused, confused, but then remembered. Toph's seismic sense was spectacular. "Uh, Toph. A while back, in the desert, I was going to tell you where I actually come from." She tried to get the words out. It felt so awkward having to say it out loud again.

"I wasn't born an airbender. I come from another world."

One moment of silence. Another moment of silence. Eira had expected Toph to laugh or something but instead the younger girl's expression was surprisingly contemplative, then she sighed.

"I suppose you're not lying, are you? It doesn't feel like you are. Well, explain."

Eira stared at her, but then relented. She could have handled a more explosive reaction but this just made her realise how crazy she sounded. Then again, this whole situation was utterly insane.

"A couple months ago, actually it was only a day before we found Aang, I fell from the sky into the Southern Tribe sea. I found out later that some spirits had kidnapped me and given me airbending." Her eyes shot up immediately to Toph's unseeing ones, awaiting judgement, but once again she didn't get what she'd expected.

Toph smirked. "Wow. That sucks."

Eira couldn't help but chuckle at such a...a blasé response. "On the bright side, I met you guys. That's been the one shining star through this whole thing so far. Having a world with bending doesn't even come close to having you by my side."

Katara smiled and pulled Eira with one arm into a hug. "Aw. Thanks." Eira hugged her back shortly.

"Ha! Your world doesn't have bending? Sounds boring to me. I bet I could take on any of leaders, easily."

The Welsh teenager's mind went to her Prime Minister and she couldn't help but agree. All world leaders would bow before a twelve-year-old blind girl as she took over the world. _We pledge our allegiance to you, our Melon Lord, Toph Beifong,_ Eira thought, quickly realising that her mind had spiralled out of control pretty quickly, even for her. Not that it wasn't funny to picture.

Eira shook her head and grinned. "It's not boring at all. Sadly, we do have much more wars than you guys..." A large downside of her world. At least these guys have had only one real war, to Eira's knowledge even though it was highly likely that they have had more. "...but that's just because we have over two hundred different nations, and even more languages!"

Sokka's eyes widened. "Wait. Over two hundred!?"

She nodded happily and eyed Toph. "That's not boring at all, is it?"

"I still think I could take them."

Eira's eyes fell to her interlocked hands. "I can't take you guys to Wales itself but I thought it might be cool to, you know, be around a place like it."

Aang nodded in understanding. He darted over to Appa and leapt with an air-aided jump onto the air bison's neck. He wrapped his hands around the reins and beamed readily at the four others. "So. When do we leave?"

Appa grumbled happily. Eira smiled in appreciation and packed away her map. She hefted her bag over her shoulder and jogged over to the big fluffy animal. His tail was curled around and presented like a staircase which Eira took. She didn't attempt to airbend up onto the saddle as Aang had done, not feeling that she could have actually done it as she was.

She dropped down into the saddle and shuffled her way to lean against the edge, half excited and half nervous. She couldn't help but feel as this was a bad idea but she also couldn't help herself. Eira had been in this world for a long time, it felt nice to think back once in a while.

O.o.O

Blonde hair whipped Eira in the face consistently in the wind as they travelled through the sky. She felt everyone's curious eyes on her as they went but allowed herself not to mind. Her eyes glossed over the amazing sites beneath Appa. The grasslands slowly turned to forests as they moved further north, the greens of the landscape becoming richer and richer on the way.

Toph was asleep but that didn't really surprise them. Eira always envied anyone with the ability to sleep on cue. She wasn't the best at flying so Eira couldn't blame her for anything.

Her eyes were wandering aimlessly until they finally arrived at Katara's. There was short exchange of glances which led to Katara tilting her head towards Eira's bag. Eira smiled. She knew what she wanted.

Eira still couldn't actually write anything the others would understand but she still kept a notebook close and treasured at all times. Some of the random things she scribbled down at the spark of an idea were little notes to herself but the majority were little sketches she'd done.

There were plenty of characters with no intended names and landscapes with no intended history but she didn't hand it over to Katara then and there. Eira held up a finger, asking for a moment, and started to draw. Blue irises flickered up every so often when Eira consulted her memory but after a minute or two the little lines became a map. A smile grew as the picture developed. Admittedly, some of the details completely escaped her but she was soon happy with the result.

She scanned it briefly then reached over to hand it to Katara. "What do you think?" she wondered.

"Oh, I always love your art, Eira. I wish I could do something like this." She chuckled. "At least you've fixed the proportion thing."

Eira laughed. Heads were always a problem for her. "It's a map, Katara."

"I know. I know. I grew up with Sokka. I think I should be a master of maps and sarcasm by association." She analysed Eira's drawing again. "Wait. Is this..? This is your home, isn't it? A picture of _your_ world."

Sokka slid closer to his sister, having caught onto the conversation. She leant on Katara's shoulder to get a better look at the map, the eyes of a tactician replacing the eyes of a teasing older brother for a moment of inquiry.

"I thought you said your world had more nations, but this is tiny," he noted in a matter-of-fact tone.

"That's not _everything_, Sokka. They're only two islands. You see the dotted lines? There should be three of them."

Sokka and Katara nodded.

"They separate the five countries. Well, two technically." Eira noted their confused expressions. "Don't worry; I won't get into all the politics. It's hard enough to understand the history when you've lived through it. The biggest island and the bit at the top are all different but are connected. It's a bit like the two Water Tribes or all the Air Temples, I guess."

Eira knew it wasn't very safe to stand up when Appa was flying so she just leant forwards, blinding pointing to what she guessed was the right place.

"Clockwise, they go: Northern Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales..."

"Land?" Sokka completed, albeit incorrectly. The light-haired teen shook her head with a small grin.

"No, but it probably should be. You see the little cross I drew? That's about where I live."

The brown-haired siblings were staring at the map with fascination. It was funny to Eira. She'd seen that map all her life. It was interesting to see an outsider's view on it.

"It looks so cool, Eira." Katara met Eira's eyes again. "How...How would you describe them?"

Eira considered this for a moment. "They're all pretty green but Scotland and Wales are really the mountainous ones. It only really gets cold up north but with the rest of them it's usually overcast or raining.

"I wouldn't say they're like any of the nations, though. But...I could say they're pretty similar to the elements. England's fire and Northern Ireland would be air, and I'd say Scotland and Wales were water and earth respectively. Power, freedom, change, and substance. It fits better than I thought now I think about it..."

Something struck Eira and she quickly crawled to Katara's side so she could glimpse at her own drawing. She muttered something she was glad neither of them heard then groaned.

"What? What is it?" Katara asked, sounding worried which worried Eira in turn.

"Nothing. Nothing important. I just realised something. It's just, I _always_ forget to include Scotland's...er…Quiff."

The waterbender shot her friend a very odd look. Eira's lips curled as she searched desperately for the right wording. It was very hard to describe. She ended up having to push up her own hair to try imitating the hairstyle she was imagining which brought laughter from Sokka and Katara. Eira's pale skin was brushed with red as she put her arm back down with a sheepish smile.

Katara's eyes were bright and intelligent. "It's so fascinating. It's hard to imagine a whole other world, and the one you come from being so much bigger than ours…Wow."

It was funny. Eira could imagine other worlds quite easily. Besides from the fact she was living in one there was also her imagination. All the planets and cultures from fiction sprung to her mind quickly. She assumed it was just because she was more used to it.

O.o.O

Appa landed and Eira stumbled over to Toph; her legs had fallen asleep a while ago at that point. Eira gently shook Toph's shoulder and prodded for her to wake up.

"Come on, Toph. We're here."

Aang whooped and leapt off Appa. He landed with a buffering breeze and sauntered around the small clearing. A small river rolled past peacefully and the grass he found himself on was dotted with little white and yellow flowers Eira didn't recognise. They looked pretty though.

Eira crawled down the thick white fur and landed on the earth, glancing up to check the others were going down, then she strolled around, slowly twirling around. Mountains. Forests. General greenery. It felt so much better but the small details, the small changes, were still there.

"Hey, guys! Do you want to go to Jin Feng for lunch?" said Sokka, waving my map in the air.

"What?" Toph asked as she jumped down to the grass.

"A small town near here. Anyone hungry?"

Katara walked over to my side and nodded to her brother. "That sounds good, Sokka, but how far do we have to walk this time?"

"Not as far as last time," he assured her.

Eira smirked. "So at least less than five miles."

"It was not _five_ miles. It was one...one and a half miles, tops!"

Thankfully it turned out to be much less than that. From their landing site there was a small path that led into the town Sokka described: Jin Feng.

Eira couldn't help but think that if she wanted to go to a place like Wales she would have to avoid all settlements since they felt so much more like Asia than anything she'd find in the UK. The town sloped up over a gradual hill with long rows of buildings making up the majority of the high street. Behind this main road there were less organised clusters of houses, still formed in lines but those lines curved and stopped in ways that showed any newcomer that they were built before people began to plan out cities.

Okay. It was more similar to the UK that it first appeared.

A grin grew on Eira's face as the five of them strolled into the town. Jin Feng was a mass of bright banners, large signs written in lovely calligraphy, and stalls.

"Must be market day," she noted happily.

On their journey through the Earth Kingdom to Ba Sing Se they'd had a much easier time when it came to the expenses. Even though Eira was happy to be frugal when they didn't have an easy way to get more money but she managed to use the fact it was her treat to go a bit crazier than she usually was.

She felt the eyes of the residents on her and her blonde hair but she didn't let it bother her. Eira bounced from vendor to vendor, enjoying herself immensely as she did so. The market was full of interesting things and creations which she and all the others loved. It reminded her of her little adventure in Omashu when Aang, Katara, and Sokka were meeting King Bumi. It seemed like such a long time ago.

Eira made sure to get more stationary for her newly-bought notebook but she mainly bought herself some ingredients, an idea gradually building in her mind. Flour, some sugar, butter, eggs, milk, some currants and mixed spices. She held a bit of worry about her memory being faulty but baking had been something insisted on in Eira's old household.

The town was a fun place but sadly the sun set quite quickly. They travelled back to Appa, Eira's bag in particular was much heavier than when she'd first come. It would theoretically be one of their last days camping since Ba Sing Se was only a short distance away without any more real reasons to delay any further.

Eira had saved Appa, but she didn't know how greatly that had affected the grand scheme of things. Maybe Ba Sing Se would be safe from Azula. Maybe things would turn out exactly the same way. She was hoping for the latter yet she knew that was unlikely.

All their tents were up but there was still one last thing to do. Smiling, Eira got to work on her plan. On the other side of the river, purposely away from Eira and the fire, Aang was training with the two other benders. They took turns on which element to practice with though Toph got the majority of the attention since the young Avatar had a lot to do with his earthbending.

Sokka was occupied with something else. With only a few days before he met the Earth King he was checking up on his battle strategies for the day of Black Sun. His expression was still in concentration but he didn't look entirely dissimilar to his regular self. Sokka's tongue was stuck out in thought, making Eira chuckle softly as she cooked.

Night seemed to come sooner in an area surrounded by mountains. The sun was hidden away by the peaks which obscured it in an almost arrogant way. Something thousands of miles away shone its light onto the globe only to have it stopped at the last moment. This thought made her laugh in an even self-depreciating manner. Her friends had always teased her over-introspective mind...

Eira paused. She froze for a moment while her eyes stared unseeingly at nothing. She looked up, forcing herself to gaze instead at Aang, Katara, and Toph. She swore that she wouldn't leave them until Ozai was defeated. With her knowledge she knew she could help save people, she already had in the case of Appa and Yue. But she became suddenly aware of her actions.

She'd acted rather foolishly today. She'd been obsessed with Wales and the UK and Earth and now she felt embarrassed about it. She couldn't stay in the past while she was nowhere near it. There was...Eira's face fell in realisation. There was no point.

Her open hand rose and covered her face from view; Eira hoped she could just block everything out for a moment. She heard the river. She heard the faint melody of birds about to go to sleep. She heard the trees around her rustle. She could have been camping anywhere in Wales. The grass beneath her was no different and the breeze was the same. But it wasn't. Why had it taken her all day to remind herself of that?

Eira didn't move. All sections of her brain devoted to the overwhelming thoughts instead of anything else and the buzzing in her mind drowned out the rest. It disappeared all until she felt a weight rest on her shoulder.

The Welsh girl jumped and her wide eyes leapt to Sokka's. "When did you..?" she blurted out incompletely. Sokka's expression was sober and concerned. His eyes wandered every so often from his friend's, analysing her expression in the hope of understanding her thoughts.

"Are you alright, Eira?"

Her hand dropped from her face to just her cheeks. They were damp. Her eyebrows knitted together. She hadn't realised...

"D-Don't...Don't worry, Sokka. I'm fine."

Sokka raised an eyebrow, showing exactly how much he believed her. "Eira. I am a _master_ strategist, among other things, as well as being a big brother. I can see through any lie."

Eira chuckled while she wiped her face. "I know. I know. No point lying to you, is there?"

"So can I ask again? Are you alright?"

Eira opened her mouth to speak but found the words were ready to come out yet. She sighed and chuckled again without mirth at herself. "I, er, don't...I'm not sure. I'm sorry about today. I can't believe I've been so stupid."

"You're not stupid," Sokka said, stern. He studied her face again. "You're just homesick. I miss my home too, but..." He met Eira's eyes. "...I guess it's more serious with you. It'll hard to go back. Harder than it is for Katara and me anyway."

He wavered but then put his arm around her briefly. In that moment, Eira saw the brother of Katara shine through. "I don't want you to be unhappy, Eira. None of us do. The best case scenario might have been if the spirits had just left you alone but, I'm going to sound selfish here, it's awesome I got to meet you."

Eira smiled. "It's awesome I got to meet you as well. I love every single one of you. You're all such amazing people after all." Sokka grinned at the compliment. "I promise I won't leave you. I want to resolve all of this. I want to help Aang, and you, and Katara, and Toph, and everyone. I've just been a bit jarred today. Sorry."

"Don't be. It's fine to be a little expressive once in a while. I've always thought it was weird at how long you go without it to be honest." He tapped Eira on the arm playfully. "Feel free to talk to us whenever you want. We're going to be there for you no matter what, since you're coming with us and all."

Sokka stretched his arms tiredly. "D'you need any help. I've got no idea what it is but what you're cooking smells _amazing_."

_He's right_, Eira agreed in her head. She hugged him back shortly and gestured to the pan, allowing her smile to broaden. Sokka's presence always seemed to do that.

"These are Welsh cakes. As the name implies, they're from my home. It is basically just batter, currants, and sugar so what's not to love?" Eira fished around for one of the kitchen supplies and prodded the little, thick sweet circles. "And now they're done."

Eira looked across the river. "It's done, everyone!" she called. Eira took the pan off the fire and blew on the food to cool them down. "They smell lush," she admitted, beaming proudly.

Aang was dotted with mud from training as he sauntered over by Katara and Toph's side. He was smiling from the success of the session and it only widened at the sight of Eira and Sokka.

"Wow, Eira. This looks amazing!"

Katara nodded. "They look really good, Eira. I can't wait."

The three benders sat cross-legged on the grass and joined a rough circle around the campfire.

Eira breathed deeply and handed the Welsh cakes around the five. "How is everyone? Have you enjoyed the day? Jin Feng was fun."

Aang agreed. "The market was so cool." He held the warm cake in his hand and bit into it. Everyone followed suit and Eira had to admit that even though she'd messed up a bit on the specifics it was good. She loved Welsh cakes.

"It can't be too long until we arrive in Ba Sing Se now," said Katara. "I know we have a lot to do but I thought these little holidays were a good idea."

"Yeah. Mine was really fun," Toph said.

"I think we all had a fun time," Sokka agreed. "We deserved the celebration."

"Is there anything else you want to do, Eira?" Katara turned to Eira.

The blonde thought about it for a moment, then nodded her head. "One more thing. I hope you don't mind."

"Depends what it is." Toph leant back, brushing the grass with her bare hands and feet idly.

Eira smirked. "I'm not whether it'll be _your_ thing, Toph, but it would be cool to teach you something. A little song?"

She looked sceptical but Katara especially seemed motivated. She clapped, excited. "Which one? Is it the same one you were singing a while back? By the Cave of Two Lovers?"

"Not that one. I know quite a few but I prefer this one. It's called, 'Old Land of my Fathers'. It's not the best out of all the others but it's still my favourite."

Pronunciation was not the greatest yet considering it was a common sight to hear a crowd who didn't know the words at all Eira was ready to give them a pass. Eira doubted they would ever win any contests but there was something so fun about giving it your all regardless of circumstance.

Eira sat with them in the firm knowledge that something bad was going to happen in their future but she was happy to know she'd have these memories. Aang, Sokka, Katara, Toph. They were all brilliant people and even greater friends. In spite of everything, Eira was overjoyed to have met them and to be able to be with them. That was something she would never deny no matter where she ended up.

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**Hey everyone! :D**

**Bast's _really_ sorry about having to delay this over and over. I can vouch for the fact that she's been swamped! But then I noticed this was special - the 10th chapter, the 1 year anniversary of Eira's journey, an off-script episode - so I (the other side of this account and her twin) decided that I'd give her a present.**

**It's her idea but I wrote it! I wonder if you noticed the style had changed. I would say I'm a different writer to her.**

**I would fight for the right to be her biggest fan but from what I can see from the reviews, favourites, and follows that I have competition ;)**

**So thank you all for reading this chapter, I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you continue to support this fic! :D**


	11. Chapter 11- A Quick Flight

**Hope you liked the last chapter, I didn't get too much feedback on it though. I am actually really curious what you thought about my sister's writing style when trying to write this story.**

**Well, I'm almost there. I've wanted to write the Ba Sing Se part + The Drill ever since I began this.**

**She forgot to mention it but it's been just over a year since I began to write this story (book 1 and 2)**

**I can't thank you guys enough for encouraging me with your reviews, follows and favourites!**

**Love you guys so much. Hope you enjoy :D**

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Chapter 11: A Quick Flight

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It was a serene morning. They had made camp in a beautiful area with a small waterfall and lots of greenery. The breeze was pleasant and the sky was blue. Again, Eira was grateful that they were out of the more barren, deserty area of the Earth Kingdom.

Sokka and Eira were looking at their maps, figuring out the best route to get to Ba Sing Se, Toph was casually sitting next to the water, her feet moving in it back and forth lazily. Aang was swimming and Eira couldn't see where Katara went. Probably not too far though.

Aang dived underwater as Eira located where they were. Considering how close they were to Ba Sing Se, Eira suspected that they were approaching 'The Serpent's Pass' time zone, but Eira wondered if the events would even take place. They had Appa, they didn't need to-

"WATERBENDING BOMB! YEAH!" Katara's excited voice rang throughout the area and before anyone could react, Katara cannonballed into the water, sending a tidal wave of water out of the pool. The splash sent Aang flying and completely soaked Sokka, Eira and Toph, as well as all of the maps they took from the library.

"Katara," Eira moaned. "Really? We're trying to work here."

"Yep. Working with _five thousand year-old_ maps from the spirit library. Don't worry, I'm _sure_ they're _fine_ after being soaked by a tidal wave of water," Sokka said sarcastically, holding up a soggy map to prove his point.

Eira shook herself and her airbending quickly dried her but she was going to be no help with the maps.

"Sorry," Katara apologised, wringing her hair dry. The apology was somewhat ruined by her cheeky smile but she quickly waterbent the water off the maps so Eira couldn't really complain.

"So have you figured out which route we're going to take?" Aang asked, leaning in to see.

"Well, we spent yesterday, travelling east for Eira's mini-vacation," Sokka began. _Holiday,_ Eira thought. It was her holiday so she guessed that she could decide what it was called. "So we needed to travel further to get here and set up camp."

"But because of Appa, we could fly through his passage around here as the mountains are likely to be guarded by the Fire Nation. It would be easier to fly over them but I think it would be too easy to be seen," Eira explained.

"You sure that's the way to go?" Toph asked.

"Well, we could go around the mountains and avoid the Fire Nation that way but the simplest route would be to go straight through using the passage."

"What's the pass called?" Katara asked.

"The Serpent's Pass." There was a small silence.

"Sounds fun," Toph said sarcastically.

"It's just a name, Toph." _Well, not really,_ Eira thought, remembering the creepy, somewhat seahorse-looking sea serpent from the episode. Hopefully though, they wouldn't have to get near it though, if they were on Appa.

"It doesn't really matter though. As long as we can reach Ba Sing Se and tell the Earth King about the eclipse," Sokka commented.

"Yeah, so let's go!" Aang said cheerfully jumping up.

"To Ba Sing Se. No more distractions." Sometimes, Sokka had a talent for jinxing himself.

As soon as the words left his mouth, three people appeared. Two women, one heavily pregnant, and a man. They all looked relatively happy considering how they looked like they had been walking for miles whilst carrying heavy bags.

"Hello there, fellow refugees!" The man called out as he approached the group. Aang smiled cheerfully at him.

"So, you guys are headed to Ba Sing Se, too?"

"Sure are. We're trying to get there before my wife Ying has her baby," he explained, gesturing caringly to his wife's clearly pregnant appearance.

It may have been just because Eira was British but she never really understood why people could talk so freely.

_I mean, realistically, they're running from the Fire Nation, there is a chance we could be from there or get offered money for information,_ she thought.

"That's great! We could offer you a lift on Appa through the Serpent's Pass," Katara said cheerfully.

The three refugees looked shocked at the suggestion and even when the noticed Appa, they didn't look any keener to join them. They looked like they thought they were insane.

"The Serpent's Pass?" Ying exclaimed. "Only the truly desperate take that deadly route!"

"Deadly route," Toph deadpanned, punching Sokka in the arm. "Great pick you two."

"Hey! Why don't you punch Eira as well then?" Sokka demanded, indignant.

"She's further away."

"But it doesn't really matter if the route is dangerous right?" Eira said. "I mean, we have Appa. We could fly past any dangers."

"But we don't know what we could meet," Toph countered. "And knowing us we'd run into a bison-eating giant moth-spider."

Eira shuddered. The thought of a moth _and_ a spider combined was creepy enough. Did Toph have to suggest a _giant_ one?

"You should come with us to Full Moon Bay. Ferries take refugees across the lake. It's the fastest way to Ba Sing Se," Tahn explained.

"It's also hidden. The Fire Nation can't find it," Ying added.

Katara mockingly looked contemplative. "Hmmm… peaceful flight across a lake, or the deadly pass?"

Eira crossed her arms. "Fine, I get it. Peaceful flight across the lake it is."

They all stood up, and walked over to Appa.

Aang looked back. "Ying, would you guys like to ride on Appa? It would save you walking there."

Their faces lit up.

"Thank you so much." Tahn escorted his wife carefully up Appa's tail and onto the saddle, the other woman following suit.

"Hmm, I don't think Appa would be happy carrying us all," Eira said, looking at the large group. "How about one group with you guys fly over and the rest of us will walk."

"I'll walk!" Toph quickly volunteered. That wasn't much of a surprise. Eira didn't think that Toph would ever become a fan of flying.

"I'll walk as well, since I suggested it."

"I guess I'll do it," Sokka said, slightly resigned as he jumped off the saddle.

"Perfect." Eira smiled up at Aang who was steering and Katara who was talking with Ying about her baby. "You can lead the way to Full Moon Bay," Eira finished, silently applauding her rhyme. People were always too amused with themselves when they made rhymes.

Aang nodded and they began to fly off, but not getting too high so they wouldn't be able to follow.

To be honest, the groups they made would probably be who she'd choose if she was given the choice. Aang was always going to stay with Appa, except when they visited the Great Divide and he had Appa take the elderly and the sick across, and Katara was going to be better around newer people.

Eira was not good at being social with newer people, Sokka was inherently more suspicious than his sister and Toph wasn't a fan of flying. The one slight problem, however, was the actual walking. It was much further than Eira had expected. You just never got the feel of the length of a journey from a jump cut.

Oh, if only she could do that now.

o.O.o

"I can't believe how many people are here," Eira muttered in disbelief. There were hundreds of people in various states of clothing and distress in the small port. Eira couldn't believe that so many people could be here as well as no one in the Fire Nation finding out. How did they even find out? Through word of mouth?

On a different note, Eira's legs felt like they were on fire.

"So many people's lives have been uprooted by the Fire Nation." Katara looked around in concern. She had considerably more energy to care about everyone.

"Well, I hope you can get to Ba Sing Se safely. Tell your baby we said hello," Aang said sweetly.

Ying smiled warmly. "Thank you, Avatar Aang. We will." Tahn put a supporting arm around his wife and they, as well as Tahn's sister, who Eira found out was the other woman.

"Wait, do you think we can even get Appa past?" Eira asked, suddenly noticing how the port was set out. There was a large wall on the other side, blocking the lake and the Earthbender guards only seemed to let in people with tickets.

"Well, uh, we could just get tickets," Aang suggested, weakly. "Come on, let's check."

"NO ANIMALS IN BA SING SE! A SINGLE NEW CREATURE COULD LEAD TO THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ENTIRE ECOSYSTEM AND THERE IS NO WAY WE'D ALOW YOUR BUFFALO-MANATEE TO ENETER! ARE YOU TRYING TO GET THIS PLACE FOUND OUT BY THE FIRE NATION?!" The woman at the booth yelled at a volume the whole world could hear and spit flew out of her mouth in pure outrage.

"But I'm the Avatar, I'm sure you could make an exception," Aang pleaded. The woman snorted with laughter.

"Ah! I see over fifty Avatars a day and, by the way, not a very convincing costume," she gestured to the group of 'Aang's' in a section of the room, all not very good. One of them looked about fifty years old

"But he _is_ the Avatar," Katara protested.

"Do I need to call security?" The ticket woman threatened, pointing to the men around the cabbage merchant, crying next to his empty cart and a happy platypus-bear.

Katara looked like she was about to protest further but Aang quickly cut in front of her, waving his hands.

"No, that won't be necessary."

"NEXT!" They all turned to leave but Toph began to walk back towards the booth. Eira stepped in, stopping her.

"I'm sorry Toph, but she might be right. If we get Appa through the ferry way, we could lead the Fire Nation to this place," she said in an undertone. "I know you could convince her because you're a Beifong but I'm not sure it would be a good idea."

Toph stared blankly, thinking it over.

"Fine. I wouldn't want the Fire Nation to find this place."

"Thank you, Toph."

"Great! This is perfect," Sokka grumbled sarcastically. "Now we'll have to go all the way back."

"On the bright side, we'll be able to fly on Appa this time," Eira said cheerfully. Her legs were still killing her. _And here I thought I was getting fitter,_ she thought, annoyed. To be fair, they didn't usually do a great deal of walking.

"I guess we'll use that pass then," Katara said. "We'll just have to hope that Appa can fly over whatever makes the Serpent's Pass so dangerous."

"Based on the name, I'd guess some sort of serpent," Toph commented.

"I told you, Toph, it's just a name," Sokka said fustratedly.

"Come on guys, let's just go. We need to get to Ba Sing Se quickly, remember?" Eira said despite thinking that Toph and Sokka's banter was pretty funny sometimes.

They began walking back but suddenly a security guard grabbed Sokka's arm and pulled him towards him.

"Tickets and passports, please," she demanded, holding her hand out for them. Eira smiled. It was Suki!

"Um, we're just leaving. Is there a problem?" Sokka asked, looking slightly uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I got a problem with you!" she said dramatically, building up her reveal. "I've seen your type before. Probably sarcastic, think you're hilarious and let me guess, you're travelling with the Avatar."

Sokka blinked in confusion. "Do I know you?"

"You mean you don't remember?" she said aggressively. "Maybe you'll remember this!" She leaned in a kissed him on the cheek. His face immediately lit up but it felt somewhat odd compared to how Eira remembered it. It was slightly muted, almost guilty-looking.

Strange.

"Suki!" Sokka hugged Suki and her face lit up in a similar fashion except with more amusement at her playing around with him.

"Sokka, it's good to see you!"

Sokka, pulled her over to the group, smiling. "Guys, it's Suki!"

"Suki?" Katara exclaimed. "It's great to see you, how have you been?"

Suki smiled. "I've been doing great. I've been working here for a couple of months, but we should talk somewhere else. I can lead you to the guard room."

"Great, lead the way," Aang said cheerfully.

Everyone looked so happy to see Suki, well, not really Toph, Eira thought that she was just going along with the flow following Suki seeing as Toph had no idea who she was. Then again, if Eira thought back, Suki probably didn't really know who she was seeing as they only met briefly when… when Eira brought a ship of angry firebenders there just so she meet back up with Aang, Sokka and Katara… OH CRUD!

What if Suki associated that with her? But she didn't know it was her, so maybe she could make it up to her without her realising.

They walked up into a small tower where one or two other guards were hanging out, their weird plate-like helmets off. Eira still questioned the efficiency of those things, yet apparently everyone in the Earth Kingdom wore one.

"You haven't met Toph and Eira yet, have you?" Katara asked. Suki looked over at the two of them.

"I think I've met, um, Eira, was it? Briefly. But I don't think I've met Toph," Suki said. Toph nodded.

"Same here."

"Oh, well, Suki meet Toph and Eira and Toph and Eira meet Suki," Katara quickly introduced before looking closer at Suki. "I didn't even recognise you at first. You look so different without your makeup! And the new outfit."  
Suki made a mocking disgusted face. "That crabby lady makes all the security guards wear them. And look at you, sleeveless guy," she said, gesturing to Sokka's bare arms. "Been working out?"

Sokka smiled at the compliment and flexed his arms. "Ahh, I'll grab a tree branch and do a few chin touches every now and then. Nothing major." Eira and Katara tried to stifle their laughter. He was just ridiculously obvious trying to "act cool".

"Are the other Kyoshi Warriors around?" Aang asked curiously, ignoring the giggles.

"Yeah. After you left Kyoshi, we wanted to find a way to help people. Kyoshi Island had largely remained distant from the war but we decided that we should try, in the spirit of Kyoshi, to lend a hand," she explained. "We ended up escorting some refugees and we've been here ever since."

Momo chittered as she poked his head over Aang's shoulder to see the familiar face. He squawked and jumped onto Suki's shoulder.

"Hi, Momo! Good to see you too!" Suki looked at the group curiously, a question appearing on her face. "So, why were you guys trying to get tickets for the ferry? Wouldn't you just fly across on Appa?"

"Well, we were doing some escorting of our own," Sokka began. "We took some people here on Appa and were going to see if we could fly over the lake, but apparently 'no animals in Ba Sing Se'. We're just going to fly across through the Serpent's Pass. Apparently there might be some scout posts for the Fire Nation around the mountain."

"Oh, that's cool, but why are you going to Ba Sing Se?"

Before Sokka could answer, a distressed voice rang out from below them.

"Avatar Aang, you have to help us!" It was Ying. She, her husband and sister-in-law looked up in desperation. "Someone took all of our belongings; our passports, our tickets, everything's gone!"

"I'll talk to the lady for you," Aang said, jumping out of the guard station and running briskly towards the security woman.

Eira, Sokka, Katara, Toph and Suki ran down to follow him. Eira quickly looked at Ying.

"Did you see what the thief looked like?" she asked. Tahn and Ying shook their heads.

"We were resting along that wall but we only looked away for a second and our bags were gone!"

Eira's eyebrows knitted together in worry. "Hopefully Aang will be able to get something sorted for you, if not, we'll give you a lift." Eira tried to look reassuring but she knew that woman wouldn't allow it, even if Toph used her Beifong passport.

The group walked back. Their expressions confirming her thoughts.

"She wouldn't allow us to get you new tickets. She said without passports, you could be anyone," Aang sighed. "But don't worry. You can ride across with us on Appa again."

_Wait, does that mean more walking for us?_ Eira thought in horrified realisation before shaking her head. If Suki didn't come along it was only… eight of them, including three adults, one of them heavily pregnant.

Eira wasn't too sure about what Appa was happy to carry but she thought that after the Day of Black Sun he struggled with… um, seven or eight kids. One was in a wheelchair and one was quite big so, um….

"Will three of us be walking again?" Toph asked, interrupting Eira's failed mental calculations.

Aang shook his head. "No, we shouldn't need to. I mean we can always take breaks if Appa gets tired."

"Well, that's a relief," Sokka said, stretching his arms.

Suki joined back up with them, still in her guard uniform. "You guys didn't answer me. Why are you going to Ba Sing Se?"

Sokka looked at the refugees then back at Suki. "We've got a plan to stop the Fire Lord, and we're going to tell the Earth King."

Suki's face ran through several emotions. "Okay then. I'm coming with you."

"What? Why?" Suki's face fell.

"I'd thought you'd be happy if I came with you guys."

"No, I do, but-"

"But what?" Suki's eyes narrowed.

"Nothing. I'm glad you're coming with us."

"Then I'm going to go get my armour," she said sharply, turning away and running back to the guard tower.

Sokka stood there, silent.

Eira couldn't help but find it odd. Why was Suki so adamant about coming? They had Appa. It shouldn't be that dangerous so she wouldn't be going just to protect Sokka, right?

Maybe it was just because of their plan to go to Ba Sing Se. Maybe she thought that he would need protecting because of that?

Either way, it wasn't the end of the world. Even if it took a bit longer with all of them flying on Appa, they would still be able to get to Ba Sing Se a lot quicker.

Ying, Tahn and Hua (Tahn's sister) spoke quietly to each other and with Aang and Katara as they waited for Suki.

The wait was a lot shorter than they expected though. Suki probably had super speed or something as she came down in about ten minutes in full Kyoshi Warrior attire and makeup. And Eira couldn't even put on eyeliner in that time.

True, she wasn't very well-versed in makeup usage and, even if she was, months in a different world without it probably would've rusted any makeup skills she had.

"Alright, now we're all ready, let's go," Aang said cheerfully, directing everyone up onto Appa.

Ying, Tahn and Hua all walked carefully onto the saddle, followed by Suki and then the rest of them climbed on, Katara and Aang sitting by Appa's head.

Appa flew off, at a remarkably slower speed, and Aang directed him to the Serpent's Pass.

Eira tucked in her legs as she leaned against the side of the saddle. Suki and Sokka were talking together but something was wrong with their expressions. Both were clearly happy to see each other but both were reluctant. It just didn't make sense.

The flight didn't take long. They landed at the opening to the pass. It was a small strip of earth that bridged through the water between them and the Outer Walls of Ba Sing Se.

From what she saw, Eira was right about the blockades. If she craned he head, further down, she could see several ships but they would be hidden if they flew close to the walls of earth that made up the path.

Eira, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Suki and Toph climbed down to look around. An ornate wooden arch marked the pass.

"This is the Serpent's Pass? I thought it would be more twisty, you know, like a serpent. I guess they misnamed it," Sokka said.

"It doesn't look nearly as dangerous as it sounded," Katara admitted.

"But it does look like it if you look here," Eira commented, pointing to several carvings in the wood.

"What does it say?" Toph asked.

"It says, 'abandon hope'."

"That's awful," Katara said. "How can we abandon hope? It saves people. It saved the earthbenders on that prison ship."

"You know, one day I'll get filled in on these little inside stories," Toph muttered.

"Yeah, but we need more than just hope," Eira said, not hearing Toph. "Or you're just waiting around for something to happen."

Aang looked around the area. "It seems like a simple fly over. Might take a stop or two. Seems pretty long."

"Okay, if you say so," Katara said.

They flew quietly and slowly along the path, occasionally getting glimpses of a couple of large lakes filled with Fire Nation Ships.

Ying, Tahn and Hua looked over in quiet horror.

"The Fire Nation controls the Western Lake," Suki explained. "Rumour has it that they're working on something big on the other side of it and don't want anyone to find out."

"Knowing the Fire Nation, I'm not sure I want to find out." Toph couldn't see anything but she was guessing by the silence that it wasn't good.

They didn't talk, trying to not cause any sort of disturbance that would call them to the attention of the Fire Nation but by Murphy's Law, something had to happen.

A rock above them decided that it was the right time to break away from the top of the ledge and fall at them. Before any of them did anything, Toph punched her fist upwards and the rock split, falling either side of Appa.

The pieces fell down with a loud splash and of course the Fire Nation ships noticed.

"Guys! I think they noticed us!" Eira yelled as a fiery ball was sent flying towards them.

Aang noticed and Appa swooped down, moaning in protest, dodging it but causing more rocks to split from the ledge and tall down at them.

Eira knocked a lot of them back with airbending and Toph did the rest.

"Twinkle Toes! We should get out of here!" Toph said quickly, pushing her hands outwards and sending a bolder flying back at the ships.

"On it!" Ying, Tahn and Hua were huddled together, clearly terrified. Katara noticed and tried to calm them down. Aang took Appa on a diversion and it was sunset before they were out of the Fire Nation's eye and could find a good place to camp.

Eira yawned loudly, stretching out. She looked at the sun setting over the water. She was pretty sure that happened in the show too. _I guess Appa was slower and more noticeable_, Eira thought as she laid out her sleeping bag.

"Sokka, you have to see this view." Eira snapped back into focus as she saw Suki pointing over at the sunset.

"Yeah, looks great," Sokka replied. The two of them looked out at the sunset and Eira smiled. Suki and Sokka always were very sweet together.

Eira looked back at Appa. She had been trying to kind of chart things out in her little journal about what Appa affected. She knew for certain that it meant that the Dai Lee and their leader, Eira couldn't remember his name, wouldn't be able to use him for blackmail, but that just all snowballed into a bunch of things Eira wouldn't be able to figure out.

She'd been taking advantage of her prior knowledge of events and now she actually changed a major event, two major events including saving Yue at the North Pole, she was pretty scared. When she came along she had been thinking about changing those things but… was she too much of a coward?

Eira laughed. No, she was still going to try and change things, save people. She'd already done some of it so there was no real point in stopping now.

She just got too introspective. It wasn't very healthy to obsess and figure these things out.

The sun finally set and Eira lay down, rested her head on her sleeping bag and went to sleep.

"Eira," a voice hissed. Eira's eyes opened sluggishly and she saw Suki leaning over her.

"Suki? What is it?" Eira whispered, trying not to sound tired. Suki looked a bit conflicted.

"I-I want to talk to you about something. Can we go over there?" She pointed away from the camp. Eira nodded and stood up, slightly wobbly. The two girls walked over and Suki sat on a large rock.

"So… what do you want to talk about?" Eira asked, curious. Suki tugged at her short auburn hair.

"I just… Sokka's been acting… different and I, uh-" Suki paused, collecting herself. "I was wondering if you like Sokka."

"Sure, he's cool and all," Eira said, not really understanding.

"No, I mean, if you _like_ him." Eira didn't respond immediately. Then it clicked, and she burst out laughing, covering her mouth to try and muffle it. She tried to stop but just ended up laughing at the fact she was laughing. It went on for what felt like hours before she finally stopped.

"So, is that a no?"

"Y-yeah. Of course I don't like Sokka in that way. He obviously likes you," Eira said, recovering from her laughing fit. Suki however didn't look as sure of the fact.

"He's been acting distant ever since we met up. He barely looks me in the eye or anything."

_Wait, could this be…_ "Actually…" Eira started. "I might know why."

Suki's eyes immediately focused. "Why?"

Eira sighed. "This is probably Sokka's choice to tell you but when we travelled to the North Pole, to get Aang a waterbending teacher, Sokka met a girl," Eira said. "A princess called Yue."

Suki's face fell. That was what Eira was afraid of. "She was supposed to die when we were there."

"What?!"

"When she was born, she was saved by Tui, the moon spirit and when the Fire Nation attacked the Northern Water Tribe, a firebender was supposed to kill Tui and she was supposed to sacrifice herself to become the new moon spirit," Eira explained.

Suki looked incredulous. "You keep on saying 'supposed to', but that didn't happen, right?" Suki crossed her arms. "Then why are you saying that?"

"Well… It's hard to explain," Eira said, hoping Suki would try and let it go. Silence. Of course not. "Alright. I saw the events that _were_ going to take place- don't ask me how- and seeing that, I stopped the firebender and saved her life." Eira looked guiltily at Suki. "I'm sorry I made this awkward for you and Sokka and-"

"Don't apologise for saving someone's life. That was a good thing to do, Eira," Suki said quickly. "I'll talk to Sokka. To be honest, I probably should've talked to him to begin with."

Suki got up and was about to leave.

"Wait." Suki looked back as Eira stood up.

"What is it?" she asked. Eira shook her head. It wasn't the time.

"It's just-don't worry about it, never mind."

"Alright, then."

The two girls walked back to camp silently and Eira settled back down to sleep. She should've told her about how she led more firebenders to Kyoshi Island. Then again, it would've been attacked anyway. And they managed to stop them anyway.

o.O.o

"Okay, it should be a quick flight across the water. No problem," Katara said happily. Toph didn't share her enthusiasm.

"Oh boy," she said sarcastically. "More flying _and_ above water. Great."

"It's only this, Toph," Aang said. "After that we're in Ba Sing Se and no more flying for a while."

"I guess that's better."

They all climbed on Appa in the same arrangement as before and Aang quickly checked behind him before directing Appa to fly.

"Yip yip!"

Appa flew a decent height above the water but at the same slower pace as the other day. _It shouldn't really matter though_, Eira thought. _We're too high to be seen by the serpent._

Eira looked down at the deep blue water. _Yep, nothing- Wait, what is that?_ A black shape curled around in the water. _Oh no._

"Aang can Appa fly higher?" she asked hopefully.

"Why?" Aang had a confused expression on his face. The sea serpent answered. It leaped out of the water with a screech and Appa lurched to the side, narrowly avoiding it.

"Since when could to do that!?" Eira yelled. Could all aquatic creatures leap out of the water like that?

"Appa!" Aang took hold of the reins and pulled them upwards. Appa ascended but it was too slow. The serpent leaped out of the water again and Appa had to sharply change direction again.

"We need a distraction!" Sokka yelled. "Suki, do you know what to do?!"

"Just because I live near the unagi doesn't mean I'm an expert!"

In a burst of adrenaline, Eira took her glider and jumped off Appa towards the serpent. It was the stupidest thing she had ever done in her life. She was flying towards it!

"Eira!" She heard screams coming from Appa but she continued. She swooped around its face and caught its attention.

It dived back in the water and began to follow her. She twisted in the air and avoided it as it tried to catch her.

"Eira!" Eira looked up and saw that Aang had joined her.

"Aang, try and lead it away from Appa!" Eira shouted, spinning to hit the serpent with airbending.

"On it!" Aang copied Eira and struck it with air. He dived into the water and came out in a funnel of water.

Eira shot at it with a slash of air and with the combined airbending and waterbending they sent it flying into the side of the ledge. It fell back below the water and, exhausted, Eira and Aang both glided back, being caught by Appa.

They cheered as they landed, glad to be on the other side. Appa flew for only a couple more minutes before resting just as they saw the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.

"There's the wall!" Sokka exclaimed in relief. "Now it's nothing but smooth sailing to Ba Sing Se."

"I concur," Eira agreed, lying against Appa on the ground.

"Oh no!" Ying clutched her swollen stomach and groaned in pain.

"Ying, what's wrong?" Eira asked, fearing the inevitable.

"The baby's coming!" she cried. Tahn and Hua quickly rushed to her side.

"What?! Now? Can't you hold it in or something?" Sokka said, clearly panicking. Not that Eira could say much.

"Sokka, calm down," Katara said. "I helped Gran-Gran deliver lots of babies back home."

"This isn't the same as delivering an artic seal!" he exclaimed. "This is a real…human…thing!" Katara crossed her arms.

"It's called a baby and I helped her deliver plenty of those too." Katara turned to the others. "Aang, get some rags. Sokka, water. Toph, I need you to make an earth tent, a big one." Toph quickly earthbent a large tent close to Ying. "Suki, Eira, come with me."

Eira quickly raised her hands in objection. "I really won't be any help. I'll go get the water."

Sokka looked at her with thanks as Eira rushed off back towards the lake, after grabbing a bowl.

She ran quickly, trying to steady her breathing. Ying would be fine. Ying would be fine. She was in the show and nothing had changed concerning that.

Eira filled the bowl with water and walked back, keeping it steady while walking at a decent pace.

"Eira, where's that water?!" Hearing that she entered the tent and, well, let's say she didn't want to describe the "wonder" of childbirth.

As soon as she had given Katara the water she ran out of the tent as soon as possible.

"Thanks, Eira," Sokka said. He, Aang and Toph were sitting outside.

"You owe me, Sokka. You would've fainted like an old woman if you went in that tent," Eira said matter-of-factly. Sokka scoffed.

"Yeah, right. I'm tough," he said, puffing out his chest. Eira rolled her eyes, smiling.

Aang was smiling serenely. "I think it's cool we got to help them here." He looked in the direction of the tent. "It just gives me hope, you know? They'll be able to start a safe life in Ba Sing Se."

Eira's smile faded slightly. Safety in Ba Sing Se. Well, she hoped they would be able to have that.

"It's a girl!" Katara announced. They all ran inside the tent and saw Ying, Tahn and Hua huddled together happily, gazing at the tiny baby in Ying's arms.

"She sounds healthy," Toph said, smiling.

"She's beautiful," Suki said in agreement. Sokka looked at the baby with a weird expression.

"It's so… squishy looking." Eira elbowed him.

"Wow, Sokka."

"What?" Eira laughed.

Aang looked so happy to see the baby, his big grey eyes shining.

"What should we name her?" Tahn asked.

"I want our daughter's name to be unique. I want it to mean something," Ying said. Eira felt her eyes watering. They were so happy to have their daughter. They loved her so much already. She blinked her eyes dry.

"You should name her something beautiful," Katara suggested.

"Something beautiful," Ying mused. She looked up at Tahn. "I know what I want to call her. Hope, like what she brings."

"That's a perfect name." Tahn hugged Ying with one arm so he could still see his daughter.

The group left the tent to give the family some peace and quiet.

"When should we leave for Ba Sing Se? Or are we staying for the night?" Toph asked.

"We shouldn't stay the night," Eira said quietly. They were on the same timeframe. The drill would still be almost there.

"Why not? We're not in _that_ much of a rush," Sokka said, looking at Eira strangely.

"Yeah, and they deserve some rest," Katara added. "They just had a baby."

"I think we'd just all feel safer once we're there. I mean, Suki did say that the Fire Nation was probably planning something close."

Everyone looked at Suki. She looked unsure. "Well, yes. There's the rumour about the western lake but it's not that big of a deal."

"I'm just going to check it out then. I just have a bad feeling." Eira went over to collect her glider and began to fly over the ledge. She stumbled into a landing and narrowed her eyes at the view. Ba Sing Se's outer walls were there. An incredibly short flight. And a massive drill was heading straight for it.

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**Hope you liked. Please, please review. It sounds weird but I use your reviews to help improve and motivate myself. So, tell me what you think and thank you for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12-The Drill

**Thank you Rosezelene Ersa and silly60 for reviewing!**

**In answer to your question, silly60 (and anyone else who may be wondering), I plan to go on with the story for all 3 seasons, then another story focusing on the comics and how Eira is going to react after the war. If I get that far I might continue onto a Legend of Korra story but I haven't exactly planned that far.**

**Wow, a chapter out in a week. An actually reasonable time. This is the first in a while.**

**I hope you enjoy reading this chapter and please review after you're done! :D**

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Chapter 12: The Drill

* * *

Eira flew down quickly. "Guys, I was right. The Fire Nation _was_ planning something and it's happening right now!"

They all looked a bit suspicious. Eira couldn't really blame them thought. She'd been acting a bit _too_ sure something was going on.

"What is it?" Katara asked.

"It's a giant drill they're going to use to get through the walls. It looks really strong and I doubt that the guards on the wall would be able to do anything to stop it." They all shared worried looked.

"We should check this out," Toph said. She slammed her foot into the ground and made a pushing motion, sending them up the side of the mountain with her airbending.

The reaction was immediate. Katara gasped and Sokka's eyes widened in shock. Aang was just staring at it in disbelief.

"H-How could this…" Suki didn't really know how to finish her sentence.

"We'll have to get to the outer wall quickly. We should take Ying, Tahn, Hua and Hope over there and the guards can take care of them," Sokka said. "Then we'll figure out how to stop that drill."

"How?" Toph asked. "I can only kind of see it from here but from what I see, it's fast _and_ giant. And metal."

"We'll find a way," Sokka replied.

Suki nodded. They quickly moved the family back onto Appa, Eira feeling pretty guilty about having to move them so soon after their daughter was born but it was necessary.

Appa flew over the mountain and they reached the outer wall. As they flew over the drill, Ying looked at it despairingly, clutching her daughter.

"We made it to Ba Sing Se and we're still not safe," she cried. Tahn tried to reassure her but Eira could see he was just as scared.

Appa landed on the wall and they were quickly met with an earthbender guard.

"What are you people doing here? Civilians and large animals aren't allowed on the wall!" he yelled. Aang turned to him, a serious look on his face.

"I'm the Avatar, Take me to whoever is in charge," he demanded. The guard took in the scene and decided that Aang was telling the truth.

"Of course, Avatar. Follow me." As the guard turned to escort them, Eira glanced over the wall. The drill looked a lot bigger and dangerous in real life. She sighed. As always.

They were introduced to General Sung, one of the Generals that General Fong, the one who almost killed her, was talking about. He looked quite similar to Fong with a similar uniform but thankfully he was missing the skull decorations. Honestly, that should've been a sign from the beginning.

They were in a portion of the outer wall where a roof rose overhead, supported by tall arches. It was made of the same beige stones as the rest of the wall but cast a shadow which was nice and cool. The General sat behind a relatively expensive desk.

"It is an honour to welcome you to the Outer Wall, young Avatar, but you help is not needed," he greeted happily.

"Not needed?" Aang echoed in disbelief.

"Not needed," the General agreed calmly.

"I'm sorry but did you even see the giant drill outside?" Sokka exclaimed, gesturing outside.

"I have the situation under control. I assure you the Fire Nation cannot penetrate this wall," he explained confidently. "Many have tried to break through it, but none have succeeded."

"What about the Dragon of the West?" Toph asked. "He got in." General Sung looked slightly taken aback.

"Well…uh, technically, yes, but he was quickly expunged."

"I thought he chose the retreat," Eira commented. Iroh left because his son died in Ba Sing Se and he didn't want to continue fighting.

"Because we _forced_ him out." The General collected himself. "Nevertheless, that is why the city is named Ba Sing Se. It's the "impenetrable city". They don't call it _Na_ Sing Se." He laughed shortly at his own joke. No one else laughed. "That means "penetrable city"."

"Yeah, thanks for the tour, but we still got the drill problem," Toph said.

"Not for long," he emphasised. "I've sent an elite platoon of earthebenders called the Terra Team." Sokka looked intrigued.

"That's a good group name. Very catchy."

Eira laughed. "I'm sorry but five or something earthbenders won't be much against that thing. All they'll do is shoot rocks at it and that won't do anything." General Sung looked annoyed.

"They're the best earthbenders in the world. Only the best for the King's city. We will win."

o.O.o

"Wow, only a couple of minutes," Eira said sardonically.

"We're doomed!" He flailed his arms in panic as the earthebenders were escorted back to the outer wall after being completely wiped out.

Sokkka slapped Sung across the face. "Get a hold of yourself, man."

"Would you like the Avatar's help _now_?" Toph asked. General Sung stood meekly in front in Aang.

"Yes, please."

"Alright, then." They walked further down the wall to get a better view of the drill. "The question is, how are we going to stop that thing?" Everyone looked at Eira and Sokka.

"Why are you looking at me?" Eira asked. "Sokka's the one who comes up with the ideas."

"You _both_ come up with ideas, and you were the ones talking about stopping the drill quickly," Katara said.

"That's a lot of pressure," Sokka complained.

"But Sokka is also the complaining guy."

"Can't I just stick with that?"

"We should try and heal those earthbender's first," Eira said. "They've probably been chi blocked if they came back without bending."

Katara's eyes widened. "Chi blocked?! Does that mean-"

"Yeah… I think it's Ty Lee, Mai and Azula." At the thought of Azula, her chest felt like it was burning. It was almost like a bingo with how she baited both Zuko and Azula into burning her. Let's hope that doesn't happen with the Fire Lord or… well, try not thinking about how quickly she would die.

They all walked down to the small entrance where all of the Terra Team were weakly sitting. It was pretty pathetic in Eira's opinion. Weren't they supposed to be some of the greatest earthbenders in the Earth Kingdom. Probably hyperbole.

At the sight of them, Katara waterbent the water from her waterskin and kneelt by one of them. The water glowed and she spread the water around his arms.

"What's wrong with them?" General Sung asked, his eyes wide with fear. "They don't look injured."

Katara sighed as she stopped healing. "Eira was right. His chi is blocked." She looked at the earthbender with apprehension. "Who did this to you?"

"Two girls ambused us. One of the hit me with a bunch of quick jabs and suddenly I couldn't earthbend anymore and I could barely move. Then she cartwheeled away."

"I was right." Where did Ty Lee learn chi blocking anyway? That isn't really something you would have to learn for a circus act.

Suki looked confused. "Who is Ty Lee?"

"She's friends with the Fire Lord's daughter, Azula and another girl called Mai. They all want to capture Aang. Ty Lee in particular is dangerous as she knows the pressure points of a person and immobilises you with chi blocking," Eira explained. "It can also stop bending."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sokka said excitedly, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "I have an idea! We're going to chi block the drill. Figuratively." Toph's eyes widened in realisation.

"By hitting its pressure points!"

"We can take it down from the inside," Aang said.

"Okay, but we should have a way to slow it down as well," Eira said. "Toph, you can't see in metal so you can stay out and try to slow it down."

"Got it."

They all ran out of the outer wall and into one of the abandoned trenches the Terra Team made. They crouched down to avoid being seen. Dust spiralled around in the wind and stung Eira's eyes.

"Once I whip up some cover you're not going to be able to see. So, stay close to me," Toph instructed. They all huddled closer and once Toph was sure we were all there, she stepped out of the trench and with a powerful slam of her foot, she sent a mass of dust into the air creating a cloud. "Run!"

They all ran forwards, Eira covering her eyes with her arms and trying her best not to get the entire cloud of dust into her eyes. She hoped Azula weren't too suspicious about the cloud heading straight towards her drill.

She tried to get a look but was met with a face full of dry dust. She spat it out. She was going to need a drink after this.

"Gah!"

"Sorry, couldn't see." Eira just ran into Suki. Everyone had stopped as Toph was standing in front of a hole she'd just made in the ground.

"Everyone into the hole!" Everyone ran over to jump in but Eira's feet stayed stuck to the ground. "Come on, Fairy Feet!" Toph ordered.

"Can't I just glide over instead?" Eira said pleadingly.

"We don't have enough time, just get in, Eira!" Sokka pointed rashly at the hole.

"I-I can't," Eira admitted pitifully. "I can't do it." It was pathetic. She knew it. She…she just couldn't. She could barely breathe just thinking about it.

"Why not?" Toph demanded.

"Well, sorry if I've been BURIED ALIVE and almost trapped in a labyrinth!" she screamed, getting a bit hysterical.

"Eira, I'm sorry about this," Sokka began.

"About wh-AHHH!" Sokka pushed her in and she fell to the ground with a large thud. She rolled down a bit and the others jumped in behind her.

"Sokka! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!" She saw nothing but black, she couldn't breathe. Why underground again? Why? Why? Why? Why?!

"Shh…" In the darkness Eira felt an arm reach out to her. "It's me, Katara. Try and calm down." Eira heard the sound of water and the tunnel Toph made was filled with a soft blue glow. Eira blinked slowly, trying to focus of the soft light of the healing water.

She took a deep breath. "Thanks… Katara."

Eira didn't look around. She didn't want to see the tons of earth above them waiting to collapse. She just walked along with Katara trying to keep her eyes on the water. She didn't look at Sokka or she would've probably attacked him him.

As soon as she saw light, Eira leapt out of the ground. The other scrambled out and as soon as Eira saw Sokka, he quickly ran behind Suki.

Eira didn't do anything. "When this thing has stopped, I will drop you from Appa mid-air."

She looked around. The drill seemed to move a lot slower when they were up close. It still gained a lot of ground.

"There!" Aang pointed at the bar hanging from the opening. He and Eira jumped up into it and Aang hoisted Sokka, Eira and Suki in.

Eira looked out at Toph. "Now, Toph, do all you can to try and slow it down."

"On it," Toph ran off.

"Good luck!" Sokka called. They closed the opening and looked around. The inside looked like it was something from a steampunk thing. Lots of pipes, gears and valves. Steam filled the air so Eira felt her hair frizzing and the surfaces were all steel. It must've been really expensive to make. Eira smiled. Too bad they were going to destroy it.

"We'll need a map or something," Eira said. "Something that will show us the layers of this drill. There are structural pillars holding them all together and if we break them, we break the machine."

"Where could we get something like that?" Suki asked. Sokka seemed to understand and he struck a steam valve with his machete, breaking it.

"What are you doing? Someone's going to hear us!" Aang shouted anxiously.

"That's the point," Eira explained. Sokka nodded.

"A machine this big needs engineers to run it, then if something breaks…"

"They come to fix it!" Katara finished, smiling. The area was filled with mist, perfect for hiding in and for waterbenders to use against someone.

The only had to wait a few minutes for someone to show up. That was a sign the drill was well managed and/or highly populated, not very good for trying to break it, but hey.

The engineer wore a strange mask which was kind of creepy and something Eira couldn't really imagine designing for constant use. He turned to the broken valve and Katara popped up behind him.

"Hi," she said. The engineer jumped and turned but Katara froze the mist around him, completely encasing him in ice. Eira ran up to him and took the schematics out of his hand. It wasn't frozen unlike the rest of the man so it was easy to read and take.

"Yep, this'll work. Thanks," Eira said, running off away from the man, the others following her. As soon as they were out of sight, Eira unfolded the schematics and studied them quickly. "The drill has only two layers so that's helpful," she explained, pointing to the inner and outer shell of the drill. "The things keeping the two together are through that corridor there. Katara and Aang, you can cut through them with waterbending and then the whole thing with collapse."

Everyone nodded in agreement and quickly ran into the area Eira noted on the map. It was a lot bigger in person. The gap between the inner and outer shell was massive and the steel beams were as wide as she was.

"How are they going to cut through that?" Suki asked. "It would take too much time."

"Yes, I thought of that," Eira said. "We shouldn't need to cut _all_ the way through. If we cut just over halfway and do that for all of them, the pressure should break them all."

"This thing is so heavy, the braces will just break despite not being cut all of the way through," Sokka said enthusiastically. "That's genius!"

"It would work even better if we cut at the bottom or top," Eira added. They all looked up at the top several metres above them.

"Bottom," Katara and Aang agreed in unison.

"Great," Sokka said. "Eira can manage and Suki and I can keep guard or lookout."

"In retrospect, we probably didn't all need to come," Suki admitted.

Eira shook her head. "No, it's good we all came."

"Why?"

"Well, this _is_ the drill of Azula, Mai and Ty Lee. We need a bigger fighting force if we run into them." _When we run into them_, Eira corrected in her mind.

Katara and Aang shot each other worried looks but positioned themselves at opposite sides of the steel beam.

They shot the water in and out of the beam at the bottom. It wore away the metal terrifyingly quickly and it made Eira realise how deadly it would be if it was aimed at a person. She shuddered. With burning people, burying them alive, suffocating them and that, bending was a really scary thing.

They wore it down, and down, and down until it reached about three quarters of the way through.

"Guys, that should be enough!" Eira quickly interjected. The two waterbenders stopped and bent over, gasping in exhaustion.

"And that was only three quarters of the way through," Aang breathed. "I'm not sure how many more we can do."

"You can do it!" Sokka said reassuringly. "We'll take this thing down." Katara shot him a frustrated look. She was too tired for his enthusiasm.

"Onto the next one," Eira called.

Aang and Katara were about halfway through the next brace when a loud sound of metal creaking echoed around the room. They all looked up and Sokka had an optimistic smile on his face.

"Was that us?"

Eira looked grimly upward. No, they should've gained more time than that. "They've reached the wall."

As if to answer Eira's grim statement, a crackling followed by a man's voice rang out. "Congratulations, crew. The drill has made contact with the wall of Ba Sing Se. Start the countdown to victory!"

Suki looked around with wide eyes. "They've reached the wall already? We don't have enough time!"

"Yes, we do," Eira said. "Come on, we can take this thing down before it gets anywhere. The wall is pretty thick."

They moved from brace to brace, Aang and Katara making swift work of it. Needing to only cut three quarters of the way in, they worked a lot quicker than Eira remembered. They had managed to get to all of them in time, even cutting a bit more on a few, just in case.

Eira looked around nervously. The engineer would probably be discovered soon or maybe he was already found.

"Okay, guys," Eira quickly said, paranoia getting the better of her. "We should get going now."

Aang looked up at the top of the drill. "I don't think this pressure's enough," he said. "We need more."

Sokka's eyes lit up like he had an idea. "Then we should get up on top of this thing. Aang, you can use your airbending and the wall to hit it-"

"-and deliver the final blow." Katara was smiling. Eira, however, felt embarrassed. She had forgotten that the pressure wasn't just what they needed. She knew Aang and Azula fought on top of the drill but she didn't remember why. She felt so stupid.

"Then let's go, Team Avatar!" Sokka said, grinning.

"Found your team name?" Suki said, smiling.

"Yeah, I think it- DUCK!" He pushed Suki down to avoid a jet of blue fire and Eira's eyes widened. She really hated her lack of the concept of time in this universe!

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee stood on one of the horizontal steel beams, Azula smiling maliciously. Eira could see why as she sent several more blasts of fire.

"Wow, Azula, you were right! It _is_ the Avatar!" Ty Lee commented happily as she noticed them.

"Well, done, you get a gold star!" Eira yelled sarcastically. "Run!" She quickly tugged Sokka and Suki, who were standing next to her, into a corridor and they started running away as well.

The group ran wildly through the drill, the identical nature of it all making Eira feel dizzy and lost. The steel, pipes and valves were so generic that she couldn't remember where to go.

They quickly came to an intersection.

"Aang and I'll go up to the top, you guys go that way. They'll split up. Azula will follow us, the other two will follow you," Eira quickly commanded.

"Wait," Katara said, throwing Aang her water skin. "You'll need this more than me." Aang nodded and the two airbenders started to run again. They both used that airbending trick of cutting down air resistance so they were both running a lot faster than usual. It was one of the few airbending things Eira felt like she could actually do.

They ran past several engineers and workers but they didn't seem to notice them.

"Eira, which way to the top, again?" Aang asked.

"I don't know, " Eira admitted. "Just follow this corridor and we should see it." Eira was thankfully correct. They saw a sign pointing to a ladder going up. Eira turned the hatch and they both climbed up.

The fresh air felt colder compared to the heat and humidity of inside the drill. It blew Eira's pale hair around her face as she scanned the drill. She brushed the hair out of her eyes and Aang walked across the drill, a lot more confidently than Eira. The steel curve of the drill wasn't the most stable platform to walk on and it was terrifying.

"Aang! Wait up!" Eira called, hobbling after him.

"I think this is a good spot!" Aang called back, not giving any indication to having heard her.

"Aang!" Eira shouted. He looked up and leaped out of the way of a massive boulder that nearly crushed him. More and more flew down. The two airbenders jumped out of the way.

"General Sung! Stop throwing boulders down here!" Eira shouted at the top of her lungs. They evidently didn't here as another line of rocks were sent flying down at them. Aang and Eira jumped back to avoid them.

"Stop!" Eira shook her head in disbelief. Throwing boulders wasn't going to help in any sense.

Eira looked worriedly at the way. The drill was sending dust into the air as it bore through the rock. _I hope that wall is thick enough,_ Eira thought. _Maybe I could get up there._ Eira looked up at the wall. She got vertigo just looking at the height. Nope, that wasn't going to happen.

Aang bent the water out of the water skin a slashed at the steel hull. He was cutting an "x" into the metal.

Eira stood, back to Aang, looking at the opening they came up from and readied her staff. Her hands weren't very steady and Eira was sure it wasn't because she was standing on a moving giant drill. No matter what, she knew that she wasn't very talented or a good fighter. She just relied on moving out of the way at the right time and flailing her arms in hope that airbending would work.

Azula was a different story and the idea of actually facing _her_ was actually terrifying. She didn't particularly want to be sent flying unconscious _there_ of all places. That would probably end in her dying.

Aang was still cutting into the metal behind her, audibly tired. Momo was chittering as he climbed around his shoulder.

"What I'd give to be a metalbender," he gasped.

Eira smiled. "Ask Toph," she muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing important," Eira quickly dismissed. Momo suddenly shrieks and, thankfully, Eira and Aang took that to move. A blue dash streaked past Eira and she turned quickly to see Azula running towards them.

"Momo, get out of here!" Aang quickly said, shaking Momo off his shoulder and he flew off.

Eira quickly ducked another fire blast as Aang jumped up, doing the same. Azula kept up shooting at them and they both just managed to block them with airbending. Eira swiped her staff at her but she simply spiralled out of the way.

Aang struck her with a water whip, deterring her firebending and at the same time Eira airbent at her, trying to push her over. Azula lost her balance, causing her to go backwards but she flipped over and pelted them with more fire blasts, vaporising the water and almost hitting Eira square in the chest, only to be stopped at the last second by her staff.

She hit Aang with another fire blast and he was sent flying backwards into the wall. Eira was about to run over to him but she had to jump back due to more boulders being sent down by the earthbenders.

"Why don't they stop?" Eira hissed under her breath. Seriously, what good did they think it was going?

Eira ducked, narrowly avoiding a fire blast from Azula. Eira sent air at her feet but she was too fast. Azula sent more fire at her and Eira had to roll out of the way before jumping into a more stable position. She wobbled, waving her arm to steady herself.

Aang threw a boulder at Azula and from the other side of her Eira sent an air blast at her, pushing her towards it. It felt like a good plan before Azula skidded around the boulder and it struck Eira.

It hurt like heck but she didn't fall off the drill. She staggered, holding her stomach where she was hit, thankful that she managed to slow it somewhat. Still hurt, though. Hurt a lot

Eira looked weakly back at Azula and Aang and her eyes widened as she saw Azula holding an unconscious Aang up against the wall.

"Aang!" Azula turned, distracted and Eira went back to physical fighting like with Ty Lee. She lashed out with her staff and Azula parried with fire. Eira tried to hit her but Azula was really swift. Even physically, Azula was stupidly good.

Then a rock flew her across the drill and a torrent of slurry burst out of the wall, making the slippery steel even less stable to stand on.

Eira flailed even more as she tried not to slip and Aang was in a similar situation. Azula was sent off the drill and Eira hoped that was enough to stop her.

"Aang, you should probably stop the drill now," Eira said quickly.

"But I don't have a-" A boulder landed right next to him with a loud _clang_! "Oh, never mind." He split the rock into a stake shape and positioned it over the grooves he had made into the metal.

He sprinted up the wall with airbending and Eira watched in awe as when he reached the top, he came speeding back down at lightning speed, propelling himself down.

He struck the spot with such force Eira was sent flying off the drill. As she fell, she opened her glider and flew back up onto the drill. The hull creaked and moaned with the pressure. The hull moved up and down as the braces probably slipped and broke.

With more creaking and moans the hull jumped and collapsed and in a burst of steam, the drill stopped.

Eira looked over at Aang. They were both covered in slurry and looked exhausted. Eira's hair was probably in the worst condition it had ever been in her life. Eira cracked and smile and they both started laughing.

"You did it, Aang. Congrats."

"Yeah." He looked around at the broken, lifeless drill. "We should find the others now." They both flew off towards the wall and landed in the opening where Ying, Tahn, Hua and Hope were waiting along with Katara, Sokka, Suki and Toph who were also covered in slurry.

"I think we'll all need a wash or something," Eira deadpanned. They all laughed.

"Nah," Toph said, she stamped her foot and all of the dirt was sent flying off them onto the walls.

"Well, I just want to say, good work out there, Team Avatar!" Sokka said happily, grinning wildly. Katara rolled her eyes as she looked at her brother.

"Enough with the Team Avatar stuff," she said, unamused. "No matter how many times you try to use it, it's not going to catch on."

Eira laughed. "I don't know. It's pretty catchy."

"Then how about…" Sokka pulled out his boomerang. "the Boomer_aang_ squad!" He looked around expectantly. "See, it's got "Aang" in it. Boomer_aang_."

Aang grinned. "I like that one."

"We can talk about it on the flight to Ba Sing Se," Katara said dismissively, beginning to walk away towards Appa. "We can drop off Ying and her family off at the port where the ferry should've landed."

"The Aang Gang?" Sokka said persistently.

"Sokka…"

"How about G_aang_?" Eira suggested.

"Eira, don't encourage him."

Eira smiled cheekily. "What? I'm sure it would catch on."

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**WHOOOOH! Ba Sing Se next chapter! I've been planning this ever since I started writing this and I've been looking forward to this for so long. Maybe my excitement will make me update even faster :D**

**One thing that does make me update quicker is you're reviews. They really tell me that someone's encouraging this and I always appreciate every single one. Even if it's short I really love hearing what you thought.**

**See you next week! (hopefully)**


	13. Chapter 13-City of Secrets

**YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! I'm in Ba Sing Se! I don't care that this chapter is the longest yet *9,000 words* I get to write Eira in Ba Sing Se!**

**Thank you all so much for all of your support, I love you all so much! This even came out relatively quickly as well! :D**

**Anyway, I hope you like it and please, please, please tell me what you think. I want to know how I did writing this chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 13: City of Secrets

* * *

They sailed quickly to the inner wall, flying alongside the train that took regular passengers across. Ying, Tahn and Hua looked happily at the wall and Hope giggled happily in her mother's arms.

"The Inner Wall!" Katara announced excitedly, pointing to it was it came into sight. "I can't believe we finally made it to Ba Sing Se in one piece.

Sokka waved his hands quickly, a worried expression on his face. "Hey, don't jinx it!" he cried. "We can still be attacked by some giant exploding Fire Nation spoon. Or find out the city's been submerged in an ocean full of killer shrimp!"

"What have you been eating?" Toph asked, annoyed but with an undertone of joking.

"I'm just sayin' weird stuff happens to us," he said simply.

"Well it's all pretty weird to me," Eira said. "You all at least find the animals normal."

Suki looked confused. "What do you mean, Eira? Even the sea serpent wasn't that strange compared to the Unagi."

Eira laughed. "No, sorry. I'm just not used to the fusion animals." Suki blinked, still not really getting it. "As in, where I came from, we didn't have cow-pigs or elephant-rats or anything like that. It was just pigs, cows, elephants, and rats."

"Where are you from again?"

Eira smiled. "Would you believe another world?" Suki frowned, sure that Eira was messing with her but she didn't press the subject further.

Aang looked with wide eyes at the city. "It looks so big." The city was amazingly big. Bigger than any cities Eira had seen. It stretched as far as she could see. Roads weaved throughout the city surrounded by buildings. Rings separated sections and each ring got progressively smaller. Eira couldn't make any of it out in much detail but she was sure that the inner rings looked a lot cleaner.

"But I'm sure we can tell the Earth King about the plan pretty quickly. I mean, he must be pretty easy to find," Katara said.

They followed the monorail into the walls and landed softly in the station. The people moving away to allow Appa to land.

Tahn helped Ying and Hope off Appa and they looked at them with expressions of gratitude.

"Thank you so much, Avatar Aang. Thank you so much for escorting us here," Ying said.

Aang smiled. "No problem. I hope you're happy here."

"We will. General Sung told us where to go," Tahn explained as they turned to leave. "He gave us passports so we'll be able to live happily here."

"Nice meeting you," Katara said, "Bye."

"Good-bye!" They waved the family off and as they went out of sight, Eira looked around the station. It was clean. Surprisingly clean seeing as so many people got on and off of the trains so regularly. The people looked friendly enough but then it dawned on them they didn't really know where they were supposed to go.

Toph sighed as she stroked Momo, who was resting in her arms. "Back in the city. Great," she complained.

"What's the problem? This is amazing!" Sokka said, gesturing in a grand fashion.

Suki nodded. "It does look very nice."

"It's just a bunch of walls and rules. You wait, you'll get sick of it in a couple of days," Toph assured him.

Eira didn't comment on anything. She was looking at the tracks as the monorail departed. A woman in fancy green robes was standing on the other side, her black hair waving in her face but she didn't react. Her ear-to-ear smile and dead eyes stared at Eira.

"Gah!" Eira jumped as she walked forward. Joo Dee. Eira's face went paler. There was no real reason to be scared of her. They didn't have Appa to blackmail them with, but that smile sent a shiver down her spine. An off smile was ten times creepier than anything else.

"Hello, my name is Joo Dee!" she said clearly. "I have been given the great honour of showing the Avatar around Ba Sing Se. And you must be Sokka, Katara, Eira and Toph, and…" Joo Dee trailed off as she saw Suki.

"Suki," Suki filled in, looking awkward. "I'm with them."

"Right." Joo Dee's smiled stretched further across her face. "Welcome to out wonderful city. Shall we get started?"

Sokka leapt at the chance. "Yes, we have information about an invasion plan that we need to deliver to the Earth King, immediately."

"Great! Let's begin out tour," she continued, making no suggestion that she heard Sokka. "Then I'll show you to your new home here. I think you will like it!"

"Sorry, Joo Dee, but didn't you hear Sokka?" Suki asked politely. "He said he had a plan about the war."

"Yeah, it's important," Sokka added urgently.

The little life in Joo Dee's eyes disappeared. "You're in Ba Sing Se now. Everyone is safe here." That was it. Too much creepiness for Eira.

"Well, I don't really need the tour," she said, trying to sound casual. "If you tell me where we're staying, I could take Appa over and…wait." Great job, Eira, she thought, berating herself. Become an actor, you'd do great.

Katara gave her a strange look. "Eira, we're guests here. Even if you do know Ba Sing Se, we might as well take the tour."

"And Appa?" Eira asked stubbornly.

"Your bison will be taken care of and escorted over to your home. It will be fine." She was so creepy. Eira had already stopped Appa from being kidnapped, she wasn't about to let him be "escorted" by the Dai Li or anyone else who worked in Ba Sing Se.

"That sounds fine, right Appa?" Aang petted Appa's muzzle and he growled benignly. "Yep, Appa says it's fine."

"Then we can start the tour?" Suki said. Joo Dee nodded and Eira was practically forced into the carriage with all the others. It felt bigger than what was in the show. That made sense as there were more of them, but still.

The carriage was made of polished painted wood with golden details and plush seats. Ostrich horses pulled it along and Joo Dee was happy to begin talking about the city. Everyone else looked slightly confused about her dismissal of their questions but they looked excited to see the city. Toph and Eira were the exception, Toph because she'd "seen" it before and Eira because she was stressing about Appa's condition.

Her fear was partially irrational as she knew that they really couldn't get away with stealing Appa in front of them or without them noticing but no one was to be trusted in Ba Sing Se. Unlike the others she knew what went on.

"This is the Lower Ring," Joo Dee explained, gesturing to the walls and the area they were in. It was dark and dirty and reeked of poverty and over-population.

"What's that wall for?" Katara asked.

"Segregation," Eira said without emotion. Katara shot her a look, "Rude!"

"The walls on the outside of the city are there to protect us," Joo Dee said, ignoring Eira's comment. "The one's inside help maintain order. The lower ring is where our newer arrivals live, as well as our craftsmen and artisans, people that work with their hands. It's so quaint and lively!" she added.

Everyone looked out of the carriage to see two men standing in an alley, sharpening a large sword and glaring at them. They all looked understandably unnerved. Momo retreated quickly to Aang's lap. "You do have to watch your step, though."

"Why have all of these poor people blocked off into one part of the city?" Suki asked.

"As I said, segregation," Eira repeated, crossing her arms. "The walls are there to block of the poorer people so they can't mingle with the higher classes and to stop people from moving up by putting them in a hopeless environment. The higher classes typically wouldn't want people like that ruining their view." The carriage fell into an awkward silence.

Eira got a dark feeling of happiness from watching Joo Dee looking panicked and trying to lift the mood again.

"As I was saying, we have many different types of shops and crafts around this area…"

Joo Dee continued the tour and Eira tried to ignore the weird looks she was getting from everyone. To be honest, she was surprising herself with her negativity. She never really thought about how she would react to being in Ba Sing Se but she hadn't expected this reaction from herself. Ba Sing Se just felt…wrong. Especially because she knew about what was going on with brainwashing and the Dai Li.

Eira felt a stab of guilt as she remembered the brainwashing. It wasn't Joo Dee's fault.

The carriage bumped around as it rolled across the roads. Eira noticed people giving the carriage quite shady or bitter looks and she understood even more why when they reached the middle ring. The contrast was scary. Suddenly everything was brighter and less cluttered. The people looked happier, conversing with smiles on their faces and when Eira looked out of the window, a little girl waved and pointed at her.

Eira smiled and waved back, somewhat awkwardly but turned back to Joo Dee as she began the next stage of their tour.

"This is the Middle Ring of Ba Sing Se, home the the financial district, shops, and restaurants, and the university."

"Is it an open university?" Eira asked. "Can people walk in and visit it, or not?"

"The university is open to all knowledge-seekers. However, the actual lectures and lessons require becoming a student. The requirements are-"

"We actually met a professor from the Ba Sing Se University," Sokka mentioned, looking bored and glaring at Joo Dee. "He took us to an ancient underground library where we discovered information about the war that is absolutely crucial for the Earth King to hear!"

Joo Dee stared straight ahead. "Isn't history fascinating? Look ," she gestured to a large building. "here's one of the oldest towns in the Middle Ring, Town Hall"

The carriage stopped and she got out swiftly. Everyone else got out as well to look around but Sokka stared at Joo Dee's back, an annoyed expression on his face.

"Is that woman deaf? She only seems to hear every other word I say," he complained.

"I'm sure she's just going along with her tour. You'll be able to tell her about the plan after it's over," Suki reassured him. Toph scoffed.

"What's happening is called "being handled". Get used to it." Everyone exchanged worried glances. The Middle Ring was quite interesting. They were escorted through Town Hall with Joo Dee telling them facts and ignoring their questions unless they were directly associated with the subject at hand.

It was becoming increasingly frustrating to go along with everything and Eira and Sokka couldn't help trying to catch her out or explain the real reason for certain things but Joo Dee just carried on with her selective deafness.

They were walked back to the carriage and continued to the Upper Ring. Despite everything, Eira couldn't help but gasp. It was the richest place she'd ever been in and got an irrational urge to get out of the carriage and walk around, examining everything. The architecture was gorgeous and everyone looked so content.

Little ponds and pockets of flowers were dotted around the ring and it looked just incredible. It smelled floral and, if she had the choice, she'd probably choose to live in a place similar to it. She quickly shook her head out of that fantasy. Reminding herself she would hate to live in Ba Sing Se and even if she did, she wouldn't ever be able to stay there and/or afford it.

"The Upper Ring is home to our most important citizens. Your house is not too far from here!" Joo Dee said excitedly and there was a collective sigh of relief that the tour would be over soon.

They passed a tall section of the wall with a large gate. Behind the gate, they saw glimpses of a enormous building that seemed to outshine even the other buildings.

"What's inside that wall?" Katara asked, trying to get a better look. They all looked closer and Eira jumped back as she saw three men wearing dark robes with long sleeves and typical wide brimmed helmets/hats. Eira still couldn't see the point in them. The men turned their gazes towards them and Eira shivered at the somewhat hateful gaze they shot at them.

"And who're the mean-looking guys in robes?" Sokka added.

Joo Dee smiled wider at the chance to explain. "Inside is the Royal Palace. Those men are agents of the Dai Li, the cultural authority of Ba Sing Se. They are the guardians of all our traditions!"

"Then why do they look so shadowy?" Eira shot at her. "It doesn't really see necessary to have them look like that. Or be trained. Or even exist? Why do you need to protect your culture if you're going to just lock people inside walls and not even tell anyone about the War that been going on for a hundred years!"

Joo Dee shrank back and Eira felt guilty. Eira sat back and tried to compose herself. "Sorry," she mumbled, looking away.

More silence.

"When can we see the Earth King?" Aang asked. Joo Dee laughed softly, as if Aang amused her.

"Oh, one doesn't just pop in on the Earth King," she said in the same tone she'd been using the entire journey.

The carriage slowed into a stop in front of a smaller house and Joo Dee smiled wider.

"Here we are!" she announced. "Your new home." Everyone rushed out of the carriage, thankful that it was over. Eira looked quickly around the house and visibly relaxed as she saw Appa in the grassy area next to the house.

"More good news!" Joo Dee announced. "Your request for an audience with the Earth King is being processed, and should be put through in about a month." Everyone stared at her in horror. "Much more quickly than usual!"

"A month?" Sokka exclaimed.

"And by "being put through" does that mean we'll see him in a month or that when out request is actually noticed," Eira asked.

"After the request is put through in six-to-eight weeks, the Earth King will invite you to see him in the palace." She walked past them and into the house. "Follow me and I'll show you around your new home."

Reluctantly, they did and unlike when she first saw the Upper Ring, Eira did not admire the building and instead glared at Joo Dee. Six-to-eight weeks! That was a heck of a long time to have to wait and Eira would be driven crazy if she had to stay in such an oppressive environment for such so long.

"Isn't it nice?" Joo Dee said. "I think you'll really enjoy it here."

"I think we'd enjoy it more if we weren't staying for so long," Sokka said. "Can't we see the Earth King any sooner?"

"The Earth King is very busy running the finest city in the world! But he will see you as soon as time permits."

"But what about the rest of his kingdom?!" Eira asked, raising her voice. "He's not doing a thing to help out with the rest of the Earth Kingdom as its being invaded and taken over by the Fire Nation!"

"The Earth King's Generals are in charge of other cities and related issues," Joo Dee explained.

"What can we even do if we're here for a month?" Aang asked.

"There are many exciting places in Ba Sing Se you can visit for entertainment. I would be happy to escort you anywhere you'd like to go."

"We don't need a babysitter," Toph said, annoyed.

"And there's nowhere we need to go," Eira added.

"Well, actually," Suki spoke up. "I think I need to leave."

"What?!" Sokka and Eira exclaimed in unison.

Suki looked a bit taken back. "I came along to help you out with the invasion plan. I wanted to get involved." She looked Sokka in the eyes. "But, I can't wait here for a month when I need to be with my Kyoshi Warriors. I need to go back to them."

Sokka looked lost for words. "Oh… Well, have a good journey," he eventually stammered out. Suki hugged him.

"Goodbye," she said before turning to the rest of them. "I'll see you guys later then."

"Be safe," Eira said.

Suki smiled and she was escorted out with Joo Dee, leaving them all alone.

Sokka fell back on a cushy sofa and Toph echoed him by doing the same to one across the room. Aang, Katara and Eira began looking around the house curiously. Eira peaked into a couple of rooms and apparently there were four bedrooms, or so Eira guessed. They were a more Asian design with a blanket type of thing on the floor so she guessed that's where they were meant to sleep.

It was one of the surprisingly rare moments where the differences between modern western culture and ancient Asian culture caught her out in what she didn't know. Mainly she just relied on her knowledge of the Avatar world to work things out.

Near the bedrooms was the bathroom. It looked fairly normal so she passed it quite quickly. There was a lounge, a tiny reading/work area of sorts and a dining room and kitchen.

The kitchen was already fully stocked and the dining room was quite similar to the one the Bei Fong's had, but a lot smaller.

After examining the house they quickly found that they didn't have much to do. Eira remembered that they didn't have the search for Appa as an excuse to explore Ba Sing Se.

Eira sat down in the lounge along with Sokka and Toph and stared out of one of the windows.

"So, what now?" Toph asked, bored.

"We could explore the university, or some of the shops," Sokka suggested.

"Would that creepy lady be following us, though?" Aang asked.

"She's taking Suki to the port so we should have time," Katara said, looking worried.

"So, we have time," Eira concluded, clapping her hands and getting up. "We might as well get the most of Ba Sing Se whilst she's gone."

"I agree with Fairy Feet," Toph said. "That woman creeps me out. We should try and get stuff done before she comes back."

"I think that's a little unfair," Katara said. "She's just doing her job."

"Yeah, and her job involves stalling us," Eira added. "She won't help us visit the King quickly."

"How do you know that?"

Eira crossed her arms. "Did you even see how she ignored all of Sokka's questions? We're not even doing anything wrong, we're just leaving and looking around without her."

"It would be nice to look around. Maybe I could find something for Appa," Aang said cheerfully. Katara didn't look entirely on board with the idea, but in the end they managed to wander around the Upper and Lower rings.

"It's such a well-designed city," Eira commented as they were walking through the Upper Ring.

"The walls themselves are weird though," Toph said. EIra looked at her strangely. "They're all at least a bit hollow," Toph explained. "Passages and stuff."

"Sounds cool," Sokka said casually. The shops had a very large variety, from markets, to pet shops, to clothes shops and even gallerys.

They went to the pet shop so Aang could buy something for Appa. Eira was enthralled with all of the strange animals and caught herself staring at the cat owls. It had beautiful brown and white fur and feathers, an adorable cat face and owl wings. Sooooo cute!

Momo forcibly took her out of this spell as he landed on the food bowl the cat owl was eating out of, startling it and causing all of the animals to screech.

"Momo!" Eira chastised, picking him up and away from the cat owl.

"Guys, do you think Appa would like this?" Aang asked as he pointed at a feeding bag. It was too small for something as big as Appa but it was a nice idea.

"I'm sure he would love being able to eat as we go, but that might be a bit too small," Eira said.

"Maybe he could use it as a snack or something," Sokka suggested, distracted by some of the other birds.

"Yeah, maybe."

"You shouldn't have gone off without informing me," a woman's voice spoke up and everyone jumped, seeing that Joo Dee was standing before them in the shop. How did they not notice her?

"When did you come in?!" Sokka exclaimed in shock.

"We didn't need to tell you," Toph shot at her grumpily.

"I would've been happy to show you around the city in more detail if you would've liked," she said.

The shop keeper looked a lot more uneasy now Joo Dee was in his shop and the dead-eyed smile she was giving everyone was worse than before.

"We're sort of just wondering," Aang said.

"Oh, it would be no trouble. Where would you like to go next?" Joo Dee asked.

"…The university?" Eira suggested awkwardly. "We thought we might find out more about the Fire Nation."

Joo Dee's smile grew colder. "The university is a lovely place to learn more about cultures and geography," she said politely.

o.O.o

"Hmm… I've never seen any sandbenders or nomads around here," the Universtiy student said. "You should ask Professor Zei, he teaches the class on desert cultures."

"But Professor Zei isn't here right?" Eira noted. "We met him at a Spirit Library and he stayed there just before it collapsed."

The student looked a little flustered. "I-I wasn't aware Professor Zei was still on a-a trip."

"Right, so which of the professors could we ask about the war with the Fire Nation?" Sokka asked, annoyed.

"Uh," the student looked over at Joo Dee and Eira looked out of the corner of her eye to see her shaking her head slowly, her expression remaining the same.

"I-I don't know. I'm not a political science student…" he said, stuttering. "I've got to get to class!" he added quickly, standing up and rushing away from them but he tripped, dropping his papers. Scrambling, he picked them up and hurried away.

Joo Dee waved at him, still smiling. Toph looked resigned and annoyed.

"We're not gonna be able to do anything else," she grumbled. "Let's just go back."

"Great idea!" Joo Dee said enthusiastically. The walk back felt ten times longer. The sky felt darker and the colours looked duller. They didn't talk, all conversations, usually started by Katara, ended with a short statement about the weather or what they saw today.

They approached the steps of their house and Joo Dee waved them off, getting into a carriage.

"I'm glad you took the time to look around our lovely city. Someone will be over with dinner, later."

"Thanks," Eira muttered. The carriage drove off and they were all about to turn in, bored and tired, but Sokka stopped.

"What is it, Sokka?" Eira asked, yawing.

"Come with me," he said quietly, walking across the street to another house. Everyone followed him but no one quite knew why. SOkka knocked on the door and an older man appeared in the door, smiling at them.

"You're the Avatar!" he said in a hushed but excited voice. "I heard you were in town. I'm Pong."

Aang smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. "Nice to meet you, Pong."

"So, Pong," Sokka said, cutting to the chase. "What's goin' on with this city? Why is everyone here so scared to talk about the war?"

Pong shifted his eyes around, checking everything around him. He kept his smile but his pupils shrank in fear. "War? Scared? What do you mean?

"I can feel you shaking," Toph said blankly, slightly annoyed.

"We can see it to," Eira added. "Look, I know you're scared but you have to tell them, us, what you know."

"I'm just a minor government official," he explained, looking to the side to make sure no one was around. "I've waited three years to get this house. I don't want to get into trouble."

"Get in trouble with who?" Katara asked.

"The Dai Li, right?" EIra whispered. Pong looked absolutely terrified.

"Listen, you can't mention the war here. Stay away from them, for all of our sakes. Don't do anything and you'll be fine." He quickly shut the door and Eira felt everyone look at her.

"We shouldn't talk here," she said before anyone else could ask her anything. She looked around, like Pong had. "They can see."

Everyone walked briskly back to the house and as soon as the door closed, Sokka started on her.

"How do you know this stuff?!" he asked loudly. "What do you mean the Dai Li could hear us, or that we should stay away from them?"

"Aren't they just the cultural authority like Joo Dee said?" Katara said.

"No, they're… kind of hard to explain. From what I remember, they were started by Avatar Kyoshi-"

"So they're good, right? Like the Kyoshi warriors," Aang said.

"Not quite. The man in charge of them, I don't remember his name, uses them to take control of Ba Sing Se. They're very well trained and are used to stop dissenting opinions from getting out."

"So that's why Pong was so afraid of them," Katara said. "This is awful. Why doesn't the king know about this, or do anything to stop it?"

"The Earth King is a figurehead. He had no power over anything at the moment," EIra explained. "If we're going to get the plan to someone, however, we need to get it to him."

"Sokka was right," Toph said. "How do you know this stuff?"

Eira ran her hands through her hair nervously. "I know I can't lie to you, but you just need to trust that I can't tell you either."

"We've bought that you're from another world and that spirits gave you airbending," Sokka said. "How crazy could your reason be?"

"I know that you guys believe that but you really wouldn't understand," Eira insisted. "All that matters is that we know the Dai Li are dangerous and we need to see the king. It's not important how or why I know it, right?"

None of them looked reassured. They were all somewhere between suspicious, worried and concerned and Eira was feeling awful. She couldn't explain it. There was no way she could. But she couldn't even tell them why she couldn't. They didn't even know what a TV show was.

Eira walked off, her head hurting and she napped in one of the rooms. It was surprisingly warm and cosy but everything about it felt wrong. Her mind was buzzing with paranoia about the Dai Li and she just wanted to forget it all. She just didn't know how she was going to continue trying to fix things and help out without alienating herself from her friends more than she already had.

o.O.o

"I got it!" Katara announced cheerfully, rushing into the lounge, carrying a roll of paper in her hand. Toph was sitting lazily on a chair, Aang and Sokka were playing a rock-paper-scissors type game and Eira was reading while hanging off another chair. They'd been having a lazy morning, unsure of what to do as they couldn't go out into Ba Sing se without Joo Dee stalking them and they didn't have any room to train. "I know how we're going to see the Earth King!"

"How are we supposed to do that?" Toph asked, finishing eating a type of nut from a bowl next to her. "One doesn't just pop in on the Earth King!" she added in a mocking imitation of Joo Dee.

"The king is having a party at the palace tonight for his pet bear," Katara explained. Sokka, Toph and Aang gave her confused looked.

"You mean… platypus bear?" Aang asked.

"No," Katara said, re-examining the paper. "It just says "bear"."

"Surely you mean skunk bear," Sokka said.

"Or armadillo bear," Toph suggested.

"Gopher bear?"

Katara looked weirdly at the paper. "Just…bear."

There was a pregnant pause.

"This place is weird," Toph said simply and at that comment Eira burst out laughing. "What's the matter with you?"

"Hah! Sorry, it's just so… strange to hear this conversation," she said, still laughing. It just felt so ridiculous. "Just bears are so common and to hear you all be so confused at hearing about it is just so funny to me. If it was me, I'd be more weirded out by a skunk bear, or armadillo bear, or platypus bear."

"Then you're weird."

"Yeah, I know."

Katara looked back at the scroll and her excitement came rolling back as she focused on what she came in for.

"Anyway, the palace will be packed. We can just sneak in with the crowd!" she explained.

"Won't work," Toph said, lying back further on her chair.

"Why not?" Katara asked, slightly confused.

"Well, no offense to you simple country folk, but a real society crowd will spot you a mile away. You've got no manners." Toph took some more from the bowl beside her and ate, as if letting her point sink in.

"Well, she's right on one point," Eira admitted. "They would be able to spot me a mile away." Eira gestured to her paler hair. "I don't exactly blend into a crowd full of dark hair."

Katara frowned. She probably hadn't considered that factor.

"Also, Toph's right about the people. This is a very classist area. Anyone who isn't from the Upper Ring would be spotted very quickly."

"But it couldn't be that hard to fit in," Katara said, still pushing for her plan. "We could just learn and…" Katara looked at Eira. "you could just, maybe, hide your hair…or something."

"Brilliant plan!" Eira said sarcastically. She looked at Sokka and Aang. "Those two probably wouldn't be able to pick up on the manners to let you fit in, but I think you and Toph would be able to blend in."

"Come on!" Aang said, slightly indignant. "I'm mastering all of the elements. How hard could manners be?"

He grabbed a nearby curtain, pulling it around himself like a make-shift noble's robe and he scrunched up his expressions in what Eira guessed he thought to be haughty.

"Good evening, Mr. Sokka Water Tribe," he said in a "sophisticated" voice, bowing to Sokka, then Katara. "Ms. Katara Water Tribe." He then bowed to Momo, who had been playing underneath the carpet. "Lord Momo of the Momo Dynasty. Your Momo-ness."

Momo chittered as the carpet rolled of his head and he mimicked Aang's bow, somewhat.

Sokka smiled and copied Aang, taking another nearby curtain and wrapping it around himself. His face relaxed and drooped in his imitation of upper class.

"Avatar Aang, how do you do? Go on," he said.

Aang bowed to Sokka and Sokka bowed even deeper in retaliation, trying to outdo him. They continued to bow even further until they lost sync and slammed their heads into each other and fell down, rubbing their heads.

"I… see Eira's point," Katara admitted.

"They'd be lucky to pass as busboys," Toph agreed.

"But I feel so fancy!" Sokka complained, his forehead still bright red.

"So, that's the plan then," Eira said, getting up and smiling. "Katara and Toph infiltrate the party as Upper Ring citizens and Aang and Sokka sneak in as busboys. It's perfect."

"You're still missing what you're gonna do," Toph said. Eira's face fell. She wasn't going to fit in anywhere really, but she wanted to join in the plan. It wouldn't feel right her just staying there.

"Well, uhh…"

"Maybe you could dye your hair," Katara suggested.

Eira's hands self-consciously went to her hair. "I don't really… I don't think that would…" she stammered.

"It wouldn't be permanent. Gran-Gran taught me how to make a dye that just washes out of fur. We used it on cubs in the Southern Water Tribe so we could keep track of them," she explained. Her clear blue eyes were lit up with excitement.

"That would work," Aang said, also smiling.

"Great, great," Toph said, waving her hand. "So we have a plan now. Yay."

o.O.o

They'd gone shopping for the makeup and clothes needed for their disguises and despite the reason they were doing it, Katara looked incredibly excited to go through all of the finery. Toph didn't really have much input on the actual designs and such (being blind and all) but she did know a surprising amount about what types of dresses and makeup they would need.

All Eira really could comment on were the aesthetics of things and whether or not they fitted when Katara asked for a second opinion.

On the bright side, lots of women and men were doing the same thing they were, shopping for the King's party. They ran into quite a few people bragging about how they got their tickets to the shop workers. Eira felt so sorry for them, having to keep an interested face on for the entire story but at least they were probably getting a lot of money from it.

They had bought dresses, makeup and weird head ornaments by just past midday and all that was left was getting ready.

Aang and Sokka were amusing themselves in the lounge, playing with Momo, so they didn't mind the girls taking the bathroom and the bedrooms.

Katara showed Eira how easily the dye washed out and Eira felt a lot better about it. Despite how it wasn't very practical, she didn't feel very comfortable with the idea of changing it permanently unless she really wanted to. With Katara's waterbending and Eira's airbending it was much faster than normal and Eira couldn't help but gasp when she looked in the mirror.

She looked so strange with darker hair. In all honesty, she hadn't looked at herself much since she arrived in that world and even though she hadn't changed much, she still felt… different.

The dress Eira had bought was multi-layered and it looked pretty complicated to put on. There was a kind of base dress which was plain and white with short sleeves, then there was another layer but it was a light green, then finally a wrap-around patterned dress that was fastened at the side.

It was a slightly more lime-y green than Katara's with dark green and white patterns on it. There was a low slit at the sides and the most surprising thing about it was that it was actually quite comfortable. It wasn't T-shirt comfortable but the fabric was nice.

Katara and Toph's dresses looed lovely as well. Toph's was creamy coloured with gold and yellow patterns around the sleeves, hem and neck and Katara's was more like a pale green with wide sleeves and a high collar.

"These look amazing!" Katara commented, looking down at her dress. Toph looked grumpy.

"Yeah, nothing beats itchy suffocating dresses," she grumbled.

"They're not _that_ bad, Toph," Katara insisted.

"Speak for yourself. They're all the same to me."

"We haven't even got to the head ornaments yet," Eira said, making a mocking face at them before laughing. "I'm so glad these aren't a regular thing everywhere. They look so pointless."

"They may be a bit pointless but they aren't awful." Katara looked at the headdresses with an intrigued look. "It's interesting though, isn't it?" she asked. "Imagine what it would be like to have things like this every day."

"Not all it's cracked up to be," Toph said firmly.

"Yeah, I know," Katara said, slightly sad.

The makeup was a bit awkward. It was a _lot_ of makeup. Blush, lipstick, mascara, everything. At least it didn't look awful. The headdresses were difficult to wear but after some testing they finally understood how to use them.

"Wow, you guys look great," Eira said. Katara and Toph did look very beautiful.

"You do as well, Eira," Katara assured her, smiling.

"You both look the same to me," Toph commented and they laughed.

"I'm sure we do, Toph."

Katara looked out of the window to see that it was dusk. "I think the party will be starting soon."

"Good thing we're ready then," Eira said. "Time to go, then."

They opened the door into the lounge, holding fans and they all looked calmly at Aang and Sokka, before giggling because of how shocked they looked.

"Wow, you look beautiful," Aang said, stunned. Sokka flicked Aang in the forehead and Katara opened her mouth to reply before Toph flicking her fan in front of her mouth.

"Don't talk to the commoners, Katara. First rule of society," she explained.

"You look so…different, Eira. I almost didn't recognise you," Aang said. Eira smiled gratefully.

"Thanks, that's the idea." The girls turned to leave. "We'll get into the party. We'll try and find a way to let you in but because security will be quite high, I'd try and sneak in with the busboys. They'll have less guards around them."

A loud gong rang throughout the Upper Ring and the girls quickly left, the gong probably announcing the start of the King's party.

The line went on quite a bit from the gate. People were chatting and bragging to each other in the crowd as they approached it. The night was surprisingly cool and that was good seeing how warm their dresses were.

Despite everything, they all looked slightly nervous. Katara was constantly looking around at different people and even Toph looked a bit uncomfortable in the crowd.

"You need to stop walking so lightly," she whispered.

"Why?" Eira asked, surprised. That was a bit of an odd comment.

"You keep disappearing and the crowd isn't exactly helping."

"Oh, sorry."

The crowd moved forward slowly. The noise began to blur together into white noise as they approached the guard at the gate.

The guard admitted several more rich-looking people before turning to them.

"Invitation please." He held out his hand for tickets.

Toph stepped forward confidently. "I think this will do." She held out her passport with the official seal of the Beifong family to the guard.

"No entry without an invitation," he said stubbornly. "Step out of line, please."

Toph frowned irritably, putting her hands in her sleeves. "Look, the Pangs and the Yum Soon Hans are waiting in there for us!" she lied. "I'm going to have to tell them _who_ didn't let me in."

The guard wasn't having it. "Step out of line please," he ordered, unyieldingly. He pointed to his side and they moved out disappointingly.

_So much for that,_ Eira thought, looking back at the crowded line moving into the palace. Eira looked back at Katara and she felt the blood rush out of her face as she followed Katara's gaze to a tall-ish man with a long plait and dark robes who was being bowed to by two Dai Li agents.

Katara headed over to him determinedly and Eira had no choice but to follow her.

"Sir, I'm sorry to bother you, but by cousin lost our invitations," she said convincingly. "She's blind," she added in an undertone. Katara straightened up and looked pleadingly at the head of the Dai Li. "Do you think you could help us? Our family's inside and I'm sure they're _very_ worried."

He smiled and bowed his head. "I would be honoured, please come with me."

He walked towards the guard at the entrance and Katara, Toph and Eira followed him. The guard at first looked reluctant but when he noticed the man he bowed and allowed them into the palace.

Eira tried to remain polite but Katara and Toph stuck their tongues out at him and she covered her mouth to keep herself from laughing.

It was no doubts that that hall belonged to the king. It was absolutely gigantic. The ceiling went up several stories and everything seemed to glow with a golden light. Everything was polished and intricate and the amount of people in there was astronomical!

Eira's eyes widened as she looked around the place. It was just so rich!

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" the man said, noting their impressed expressions. "My name is Long Feng," he introduced. "I'm a cultural minister to the king."

_Oh, Long Feng. That's his name,_ Eira thought. Not remembering his name was really annoying her considering how the Ba Sing Se arc was one of her favourite parts of the show.

"I'm Ying," Eira said, thinking of a random name she could use.

"And I'm Kwa Mai," Katara said. "and this is… Dum." Toph tugged on a string hanging from Katara's headdress and Katara winced in pain.

"Ow!"

"Now, where is your family?" Long Feng asked. "I'd love to meet them."

Eira pretended to look around for them. "I can't see them right now. We promised to meet up at this time but they could be a little late. I'm sure we'll find them soon." Eria smiled. "Thank you for all your help. I'm sure they would appreciate it."

Eira turned them away swiftly and began to walk off but stopped as Long Feng appeared in front of them. How the hell did he do that?

"Don't worry," he said calmly. "as your escort it would be dishonourable to abandon you ladies without finding your family first. We'll keep looking."

Eira shot a worried look at Katara and Toph. She did not want to be around Long Feng for long. She kept on feeling that if she was around him any longer, she would say something wrong and get arrested or something. She didn't have a very good track record of _not_ annoying people with power to the point of trying to kill her.

They lead Long Feng around, trying to lose him and Eira was looking intently for Sokka and Aang. They had to have snuck in already.

There were dozens of faceless busboys holding trays of assorted foods and as Eira's dull blue eyes scanned them, she was getting more and more tired. Another one, and another, and one with a tail coming out of their hat, and another-wait!

She focused on the tail and smiled. It was Aang and Momo. He was carrying a jug of water or something and Eira lightly tapped Katara and Toph, pointing in their direction.

Without making any sound, they walked over to Aang and Sokka.

"Another crab puff, please," Toph said in a fancy voice. Sokka absently, lowered his tray towards her, not noticing it was them but Aang's eyes widened and he smiled.

"You found us!"

"Try not to sound so surprised," Eira said, smirking. "Do you not trust us?"

"By the way," Sokka said." Thanks for letting us in."

Eira frowned. "Hey, I said that it would be hard. The guy who let us in _won't_ let us out of his sight and…"

"Wait, what guy?" Sokka asked, confused.

Eira looked around nervously. "He's the head of the Dai Li. He's the man I was talking about."

Everyone looked at her in shock.

"You mean… him?!" Katara whispered, shocked.

Eira nodded. "That's why we should find the king as soon as possible. He should be arriving soon."

"What are you doing here?!" Everyone turned around to see Joo Dee looking at them, looking anxious. "You have to leave immediately or we will be in terrible trouble!" Joo Dee tried to push them away but Sokka blocked her with his tray.

"Not until we see the king," he said adamantly.

Joo Dee's face strained. "You don't understand. You must go." She gave a big shove and Sokka fell on Aang, causing the jug of water he was holding to spill onto a nearby woman.

She shrieked as the water ruined her makeup, hair, and dress. Her face was streaked and she looked mortified.

"Wait, no, sorry!" Eira quickly apologised. "Please don't shout." Eira attempted to send a small wave of air at her, drying her but Aang had a similar idea. They both shot a gust of air at the woman and despite it drying the water off her she looked like she had been standing in front of an industrial fan. Her hair and dress stuck out behind her like she was hanging upside down.

Eira tried to shrink back into the crowd but unfortunately for him, Aang was the centre of attention. His busboy uniform had been blown off, revealing his airbender clothes and tattoos. He smiled sheepishly and Eira cringed in embarrassment.

The woman looked briefly shocked, but she then smiled in amazement. "The Avatar! I didn't know the Avatar would be here," she said airily.

All of the attention was now laser focussed on Aang and for the first time, Joo Dee's smiled fell, replaced by a look of complete and utter dread.

Aang blushed and waved at the crowd, laughing nervously.

Sokka leaned next to him and whispered something to him. Aang nodded and yelled to the crowd, "Watch this, everybody!" as he jumped on the long dining table, waterbending the drinks on the table into a swirling multi-coloured orb above everyone.

The crowd cheered and clapped as he performed for them and as he distracted everyone, Eira walked briskly through the crowd to find Sokka.

"Sokka!" she hissed. "Sokka!" He turned around to face her.

"What? I'm trying to find the king!"

"When he arrives, you'll know," she explained. "He's the Earth King, of course he'll have a grand entrance. He won't be just mingling in the crowd."

Sokka looked around sheepishly. "Yeah, I didn't think of that."

"I know."

They both tried to blend in with the crowd, Eira pretending to take food from him as he was a busboy until the King finally made his entrance.

The crowd was filled with a buzzing anticipation as two lines of guards walked into the hall grandly. Eight of the men were carrying a curtained palanquin or something. You could just make out the shadow of the Earth King through the curtains and the crowd was marvelling at his presence.

Eira nudged Sokka with her elbow, though it was unnecessary as he could clearly see it.

"Aang!" Sokka called out, getting Aang's attention. "The Earth King!" Sokka pointed to the palanquin. Aang smiled as he stopped entertaining Basco with his waterbending. He span an air scooter and shot down the long table.

"Greetings, Your Majesty!" he said loudly. The guests whisked away their food and drinks to make room for Aang to travel down but as the guards saw him, the Earth King was quickly taken away.

Sokka and Eira frowned, looking worried at each other before Eira felt two pairs of hands grab her arms.

"Hey, let me go!" Sokka yelled as he was also grabbed by two Dai Li guards.

Eira jumped in shock and airbent the guards holding her away, sending them flying but two hands made of earth shot out and covered her mouth and arms, pulling her away from the crowd.

Eira fought against them but they were two strong. Eira was "escorted" out of the main hall along with Sokka, Katara and Toph and they were all led down a dark corridor to an empty office.

It was filled with green light from the fire in the hearth but despite that the dark stone walls and floor felt cold. Eira almost laughed at how obviously evil the office was. They even went out of the way to have green fire. It was just incredible.

The earth hands fell away from her mouth and arms and flew back to the Dai li agents by the door. Surprisingly, Eira didn't feel frightened or anything like that, she only felt angry. No one said anything, but Katara and Sokka looked worried. Toph and Eira shared feelings of anger and frustration.

Long Feng entered the room along with Aang and Aang's eyes narrowed as he saw them there. He walked over to stand by them and scanned the room. Long Feng stood in front of the fire and the emerald light sent shadows over his face.

"Why won't you let us talk to the king?" Sokka demanded. "We have information that could defeat the Fire Nation!"

Long Feng looked calm as he stood in front of them. Eira was constantly wishing that his stupid plait would just catch on fire.

"The Earth King has no time to get involved with political squabbles and the day to day minutia of military activities," he said clearly.

Eira laughed humourlessly. "Yeah, because it's certainly not a _King's_ job to get involved with _politics_. Please, forgive us for our misunderstanding," she said mockingly.

Long Feng scowled. "What's most important to his royal majesty is maintaining the cultural heritage of Ba Sing Se. All his duties relate to issuing decrees on such matters. It's my job to oversee the rest of the city's resources, including the military."

"Yeah, we know that," Eira said, continuing her unimpressed tone. "The king is just a figurehead and you hold all of the power. He's your puppet, you use the Dai Li to keep the citizens in line and you refuse to let anyone know about the war so you can maintain your pretty little bubble of peace."

"But," Sokka started. "If you're in charge of the military, you could organise the invasion. The solar eclipse will leave the Fire Nation defenceless. You-"

"Enough!" Long Feng swiped his hand at them, shutting Sokka up. "I don't want to hear your ridiculous plan. It is the strict policy of Ba Sing Se that the war not be mentioned within the walls. Constant news of an escalating war will throw the citizens of Ba Sing Se into a state of panic."

"But most of them already know!" Eira countered. "All of the refugees in the Lower Ring, the students, the politicians, they all know. You're not doing a very good job at keeping it a secret. Just because everyone's too afraid to talk about it doesn't change that fact!"

"And by having that, Ba Sing Se remains a peaceful, orderly utopia," Long Feng said. "The last one on Earth."

Aang, Toph, Katara and Sokka stared at Long Feng with a mix of shock and horror.

"You can't keep the truth from all these people," Katara protested. "They _have_ to know!"

Aang stepped forward, pointing a finger at Long Feng. "I'll tell them! I'll make sure everyone knows!"

"And you can't get rid of Aang unlike all the others," Eira added. "He's the Avatar and I'm pretty sure people would notice if he went missing in your precious Ba Sing Se."

Long Feng stood straighter, casting a wide shadow over the office. "That may be true. The Avatar may be untouchable, but not his friends." Aang stepped back in horror. Long Feng smiled cruelly. "I have good reason to believe that if one of your _friends_ disappeared, there would be no one who would notice."

Eira's eyes widened. A shot of fear struck her. Only Toph, Aang, Sokka and Katara actually knew her here. No one else would care.

"Up until now, you've been treated as our honoured guest," Long Feng looked Aang right in the eyes. "But from now on, you will be watched every moment by Dai Li agents. If you mention the war to anyone, you will be expelled from the city and, Avatar Aang, your friends may not be accompanying you. It would be a shame if they could not help you continue your quest." Long Feng walked over to a chair and sat down. He gestured to the opened door. A woman in a familiar dress was standing next to it. "Now, Joo Dee will show you to your home."

Everyone turned to face the woman and Eira felt cold.

"Come with me, please," the woman said in the familiar creepy monotone and stretched smile but she was clearly _not_ Joo Dee. Her hair only came up to her jawline and her face was rounder.

"Wh-What happened to Joo Dee?" Eira asked, horrified.

"I'm Joo Dee." The woman bowed her head. "I'll be your host as long as you're in our wonderful city."

* * *

**Now how long with Eira last before getting arrested? :)**

**Thanks for reading this and tell me how you think I did and tell me what you think will happen next! :D**


	14. Chapter 14-Eira's Day Out

**Thanks geekycutecupcake for reviewing. I'm sorry this chapter isn't the greatest writing wise. I wasn't feeling too well when writing it but I hope you enjoy anyway.**

**This may be a bit shorter but hope you enjoy it anyway. **

**Please review and tell me what you thought :)**

* * *

Chapter 14-Eira's Day Out

* * *

It wasn't easy sleeping after that. It wasn't really easy doing much after that. For some reason, being threatened by a man who controls a secret police and ends up killing someone after brainwashing them put a damper on daily activities. Also the fact that they were being watched by Dai Li agents wasn't a very fun thought.

Eira poured herself a cup of tea, trying to make a normal milk tea instead of the herbal stuff they normally had. It wasn't very easy as she needed to filter the tea leaves and they didn't have any mugs (Eira doubted anyone did) so it was awkward and complicated but it was what she was willing to go through for a small moment of peace..

It was quite early. The sun was still pretty low in the sky. Birds chittered and sang as they flew between trees. They jumped between branches every couple of seconds energetically and as Eira drank her tea she wondered how _anything_ could be energetic in the morning.

Aang, Sokka and Katara were in the bathroom, getting ready for the day and Toph was still sleeping like a brick so that was pretty normal.

Eira sat down in a chair and stared blankly as she lost herself in thought. In her mind she had partially thought through how she would deal with certain things in the show but when she actually got to the moment it all felt _too_ real. She was constantly reminded about how things could kill her and it wasn't pleasant to say the least. Long Feng threatening them was one of those moments. It just kept on occurring to her that they were dealing with a man who could easily have them killed or brainwashed, like Jet.

Eira's eyes widened and she hit herself in the forehead. _Damnit!_ She thought. She had completely forgotten about Jet. He was probably already brainwashed and released back into Ba Sing Se, but they didn't have Appa as a way to see him again.

Because of that they had two options for Jet's survival. Either they didn't meet him again at all and he would be left alive, but brainwashed, in Ba Sing Se which wasn't a nice option, or they met up with him again, fixed his brainwashing and he ends up being killed under Lake Laogi. Also not a nice option.

_Maybe I could look for him_, Eira thought. That wasn't the worst plan ever. She could find him, get Katara to fix him and then try to work from that.

"Toph!" Katara's voice rang out through the house. Eira smiled. It was a pretty typical morning. Eira walked over to see what was going on and saw Katara looking disapprovingly at Toph's morning appearance.

Toph's black hair was sticking up in all directions as if she'd been electrocuted, she wasn't fully dressed and covered in dirt. It didn't even make sense though as they were in a house and not sleeping outside so there was no reason she would be coated in dirt.

"Mornin' Fairy Feet," she said.

"Morning, Toph," Eira echoed. "Nice to see you're ready for the day."

"I'm ready enough," she insisted. "It's not like we're going anywhere."

Katara looked like she was thinking. "Hmm… you know what we need?" she asked. "A girl's day out!"

"Is this where I should run," Eira asked, pointing her thumb at the door,

"It would be nice to go out, just us girls, and relax at a spa or something. You'll love it." Katara looked positively ecstatic at the idea.

"Do I have to?" Toph asked.

"It'll be fun!"

"Yep, I should've run," Eira deadpanned.

There would be no arguing with Katara. She managed to get Eira and Toph presentable and out of the house faster than what Eira thought was possible and before she knew it they were in front of another large fancy building.

"The Fancy Lady Day Spa?" Eira said sarcastically. "Sounds just like us _fancy ladies_."

"Just my kinda place," Toph added.

Despite their non-enthusiasm, Katara didn't look any less excited. She beamed, turning round to face them as two women in robes walked out with content smiles on their faces. It may just be that Joo Dee ruined smiles for her forever but Eira's first thought was that the spa was involved with the conspiracy too. Thank goodness she already knew it wasn't or she would've bolted… that was still plan B, though.

"Are you ready for some _serious_ pampering?" Katara asked.

Toph looked resigned. "Sure, Katara, whatever you say. As long as they don't touch my feet."

"It's a spa," Eira said as they walked in. "Prepare for that to be ignored."

The entrance was very neat and looked like a typical spa, not that Eira really knew. She went once with her mum but that was years ago and it was no way as expensive looking as that.

"Hello," Katara said, walking up to the front desk. "We're here for, well, everything!"

The receptionist smiled politely. "Of course." She wrote something down on a sheet of paper before looking back at them. "Ming will show you through."

A pretty woman with short black hair and an oval face walked up to them and gestured to the door. "Just that way," she said.

"Thank you!" Katara, Eira and Toph, with various levels of excitement, walked through and it began. As Eira predicted, Toph's "no feet" rule was quickly broken as the women almost fainted at the sight of them. Walking barefoot all of the time left them coated in mud and as Eira and Katara received nice, quiet treatments, they were practically _attacking_ Toph!

Eira and Katara watched with a blend of amusement and nervousness. As another assistant tried to help out, the room exploded into a cloud of dust and the woman was sent flying, hitting one of the walls and everyone quickly backed away.

It was a shame. The room was actually quite nice. The walls were white and clean with nice paintings dotted around. A potted plant was sat in the corner of the room and they were sat on soft reclined chairs. It was all at least somewhat ruined by the new coating of dirt settling around the room.

Eira waved her arms to try and clear the air, absently forgetting about airbending and becoming surprised when the room actually cleared. The dust was sent flying out of the room in a cloud before dispersing.

"Next one?" Eira suggested as she looked at the shocked faces and wide eyes of the staff. Toph and Katara nodded, smiling widely and shaking slightly before giggling loudly. Eira couldn't help but join in. Only Toph would manage to make a trip to the spa start with an explosion of dirt.

They went through several different things after that. The mud baths were a bit weird. Eira never truly understood the point of them but it was kind of relaxing. The funniest part was when staff came in carrying fresh towels and Toph earthbent the mud and cucumbers around her face into an impression of a sea slug thing with a vacuum-like mouth and popped out eyes. The woman screamed and ran away and even though Eira felt a little bad it was still really funny.

The sauna was also really nice. It felt great to just sit there, feeling like you were melting. Katara and Toph maintained it by throwing on another hot rock or Katara adding more water and creating ore steam. It was one of the nicer domestic uses of bending that reminded Eira that bending wasn't just combat.

Feeling refreshed as they walked out, Eira felt actually happy that she went. They all had the same content expressions as the two women they saw walking out at the start. Their faces were tinged with makeup and their hair was slightly styled, Eira remembered the slight look of shock the assistant had on her face when she told her that her hair was naturally like that. One of the more amusing points of the trip.

"Well, that wasn't so bad," Toph admitted. "I'm not usually into that stuff but I actually feel…girly."

"Yeah, that was really relaxing," Eira added.

"I'm glad. It's about time we all did something fun together," Katara said. They walked across a small little bridge over a creek of sorts and Eira looked over the edge to see little fish swimming around. It was all very beautiful.

Katara and Toph also stopped to look around and as they did a group of rich looking girls passed them. They were all wearing lots of jewellery and finery and they definitely fitted in in the Upper Ring. One of them was carrying a parasol, covering her face in a shadow to protect it from the mild sun.

"Wow, great makeup," she said in a falsely nice voice. Eira's eyebrows knitted together in disapproval.

"Thanks," Toph said, her face actually lighting up. It sent Eira's heart plummeting down as she knew what would come next.

"For a clown!" The group of girls laughed loudly like a pack of dolphins and Eira felt her face heating up. Toph's face fell and Katara put her arm around her shoulder and tried to walk her away from the group.

"Don't listen to them," she whispered. "Let's just keep walking." Eira turned to face the girls and she smiled sweetly in an imitation of the girl with the parasol.

"And you look like a wolf-bat who tried adding earrings in the hope it would distract from its horrible face and personality so you have no right to judge anyone, especially not my friend!" Eira mocked.

The girl looked outraged, which Eira felt was a bit of an over-reaction considering the fact that she was fine insulting a twelve year-old girl.

"How dare you-!"

"Eira!" Katara said in a hushed voice. "Let's just go."

"No, no, that was a good one," Toph said, walking up to the group of girls, laughing. "You know what else is a good one?" She asked, slamming her foot down onto the bridge and earthbending a circle out of the bridge, sending the girls falling into the creek.

Katara covered her face to keep herself from laughing. "Now _that_ was funny," she said cheerfully. She swept her arms in a circular motion and the girls were sent shooting downstream in a large wave.

Katara and Eira watched happily as the girls disappeared from sight but as they turned around they saw that Toph was walking away. They quickly jogged to catch up with her.

"Toph, those girls don't know what they're talking about," Katara said reassuringly.

"It's okay," Toph said quietly. "One of the good things about being blind is I don't have to waste my time worrying about appearance. I don't care what I look like. I'm not looking for anyone's approval." She stopped walking to wipe a tear from her eye.

"That's one of the best things about you, Toph," Eira said. "You're a really strong person and so confident." Eira looked around at the scenery. It was amazing to think of all Toph could do, to think that she could feel all of what Eira could see. "You turned what people would call a weakness into your greatest strength and because of it you're a better person than most people. You only care about the substance of a person." Eira paused. "A part of me wishes that everyone could be blind, at least for a while. It makes you appreciate things."

A small smile rose on Toph's face.

Katara put her arm on Toph's shoulder. "You're the strongest person I know, Toph. And I know it doesn't matter but… you're really pretty."

Toph turned to Katara and Eira. "I am?"

"Yeah, you are," Eira confirmed confidently. They all continued walking.

"I'd return the compliment, but I've not idea what you guys look like." Eira and Katara laughed. "Thank you." Toph punched Eira and Katara in the shoulders.

"Ow!" Katara and Eira rubbed their shoulders, but still smiled.

It was a nice quiet walk back to the house. The atmosphere was calm and as they approached the door they all felt peaceful. However, as Eira entered, she remembered what she was thinking about that morning. About Jet.

"Hey, guys?" she began. Toph and Katara turned to face her.

"Yes, Eira?" Katara said, looking slightly concerned at Eira's tone. Realising that, Eira fixed her expression into a smile again.

"Well, I heard there was a tea shop open and apparently it has the best tea in Ba Sing Se. I also saw some good little restaurants as well so I was thinking that I could go and visit them and try and bring some back," Eira explained. It wasn't _really_ a lie. She _had_ heard of the tea shop and they _did_ see some places on their tour. It just happened that she would be looking for Jet along the way.

Eira hoped that he was still in that area. She didn't recognise where they found him in the show.

Katara looked slightly anxious as she looked out of the window. "Are you sure about it, though? I mean," Katara lowered her voice. "What about the Dai Li?"

Eira shook her head in false confidence. "I'm not going anything suspicious. It's just popping out to a tea shop." Eira laughed. "It's not like I could manage to get myself arrested for that, right?"

"Well, I guess it should be fine then."

"Great!" Eira jogged over to her room and collected her bag and glider. She said a quick goodbye to Katara and Toph and walked out of the house.

The sun was getting lower in the sky as Eira walked to the Upper Ring train station. It was casting a warm orange glow over everything and the clouds were tinged pink and white, creating a lovely, picturesque scene.

The station was surprisingly almost as busy as it had been when they first landed in Ba Sing Se even though it was much later and they were in the Upper Ring. Eira did feel like she stood out a lot but that was nothing new. She was almost getting used to the odd stares.

Eira sat down on the benches and leaned against the side of the train car as it rocked slightly as they sped across the tracks. It must be quite a boring or at least strange job to just push a train all day. Eira smiled, amused. Earthbending was an interesting substitute for an engine or electricity.

As Eira got off the train into the Lower Ring, she suddenly realised how she didn't have a clue where she was going. Looking clearly confused, she tried finding someone to ask. Eira walked slowly around and began asking random people.

"Excuse me, I heard there was a really good tea shop around here, do you know where that would be?" she asked. The woman she asked was quite short, quite a bit shorter than Eira, with dark hair in a low ponytail and heavy dark eyes with bags under them. She did look very tired and even though it wasn't much, Eira felt slightly guilty for bothering her.

Despite her clear tiredness, she smiled warmly at Eira. "Oh, yes. The Pao Family Tea House, it's just down that street and to the left." The woman paused. "To be honest it wasn't much before but they employed this new man called Mushi. Now he actually knows how to make tea. I reckon he'll be offered his own shop soon, somewhere in the Middle or maybe even Upper Ring."

"Thank you," Eira said gratefully.

"Yeah, and there was a small disturbance there a day or two ago. A poor boy came in a started attacking the staff, screaming nonsense at them." The woman clicked her tongue and shook her head. "He was taken away and he clearly needed some sort of help."

Eira's face fell, concerned. She really didn't even have the slightest clue about where Jet would be. The woman turned to leave but after a brief moment of hesitation, Eira stopped her.

"Wait, sorry," she said quickly, retracting her hand from the woman's shoulder. "About the boy," Eira started. "Would you happen to know where he lived? I think he was a refugee."

The woman huffed in disapproval. "These people nowadays. Always sneaking into Ba Sing Se when we barely have enough space as it is," she grumbled in an undertone. "Typical _refugees_ live in small community houses but I don't know enough about anything to tell you which one the boy lived in."

"Ah, right. Sorry. I was just wondering," Eira said, trailing off in embarrassment. The woman raised an eyebrow.

"Do you know the boy?" she asked sharply.

"Kinda," Eira said lamely. "I ran into him ages ago and I heard he was in Ba Sing Se. What that boy did sounded like what he'd do…" Eira quickly looked up from her feet and threw on a grateful smile. "Either way, thanks!"

Eira walked off briskly in the direction the woman had pointed her in and as she looked up at the shop and restaurant signs, looking out for The Pao Family Tea House, she stopped at a rather simple sign with those exact words. To be honest, Eira thought it would be a bit harder to find. She peeked inside and was taken aback at how busy it was and from what she guessed even higher up people in Ba Sing Se were there judging by the contrast of clothing quality.

Eira walked in awkwardly and waited in the queue. She realised people were staring at her but she tried to ignore it. She turned her eyes away from people and onto the room of the tea house. Eira noted that the wooden tables and floor had signs of damage that looked like knife, or in that case, sword marks.

As Eira moved forward and the queue got shorter she tried to think of what the others would like. As she was getting closer and closer to ordering in a panic her mind settled on jasmine despite having absolutely no idea what it would be like.

As the person in front of her left, she absently began to speak before focusing on the person in front of her.

"So, could I have, um, a pot of jasmine tea, please?" she said. She looked forward and was face-to-face with prince Zuko. He looked a lot weaker than what she remembered. His hair was certainly a lot longer and his face paler, making his scar even more prominent on his face. His golden eyes widened in shock but he was clearly trying to give the appearance of not recognising her.

Eira too was shocked. It hadn't really occurred to her that she'd see Zuko and/or Iroh. She'd only been thinking about the fact Jet was there, not really _why_ he was there.

"So, um… a pot of jasmine tea?" she repeated, rather meekly and without saying anything Zuko sped off into the back.

Eira stood still. She didn't know what to do. She kind of needed the tea to excuse her trip to the others so… yeah… This lead Eira to stand awkwardly for about five minutes, waiting for something to happen.

The people behind her were starting to get a bit agitated so she was about to leave but thankfully a man, not Iroh or Zuko simply walked out of the back, looking a little confused as he held a small pot.

"Here's your tea," he said politely. Eira accepted it and paid him. In other cases she might've sat down and had a cup but that wasn't really an option. As she walked out, she hit herself in the forehead with an open palm, chastising herself.

She kept on forgetting the timeframe. Zuko wasn't "reformed" yet. He wouldn't exactly welcome her and now he knew that Aang was in Ba Sing Se too! Zuko only changed after he found Appa and set him free, but… Appa wasn't there. He was with them. Damn. Did that mean Zuko wouldn't be reformed properly? What if that meant he would never join them or teach Aang firebending?!

Eira tried to take deep breaths to calm herself, realising that she looked stupidly panicked. Eira quickly looked back at the tea house. She didn't see Zuko or Iroh in there. Were they still talking in the back?

Eira quickly walked away from the tea shop in the opposite direction. This whole trip was ridiculous. If they didn't meet Jet, he wouldn't die. Sure, he'd be brainwashed but after they manage to tell the Earth King about the Dai Li and Long Feng, they'd probably manage to help with that. She was just being silly and trying to solve things without thinking, as always. Why was she so-

"Hey!" Eira walked straight into someone and they both fell to the ground. The tea pot went flying and shattered on the ground. Her staff went flying from her hands and fell to the floor, clattering against the stone.

"Just great," Eira grumbled before looking to the person she'd run into. "I'm really sor-" EIra stopped in her tracks. In front of her was a boy about her age with tanned skin and very dark hair that stuck out in all sorts of directions but in a kind of purposeful way. His eyes were narrow and he had a sharp nose and, sadly, it was all very familiar.

"Jet?!" Eira exclaimed, jumping up onto her feet in shock. Jet looked up and his mouth widened into a smile.

"Eira! Wow, I didn't think that I'd see you again." He got up casually, brushing himself off and looked as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Cool running into you here, right?" he joked, laughing.

Eira looked down at her feet before forcing herself to look at his face. "Yeah," she said in a small voice. "Too bad it was literal, though. I'm really sorry I was… thinking."

Jet gave a small frown. "Thinking about what? You look pretty serious."

"It doesn't matter," Eira said quickly. "So, uh, where's Smellerbee, Longshot, the Duke, and all?" she asked, trying to sound casual despite being terrified. Her mind had become completely blank.

"Oh, we split up. They wanted to go off on their own, ya' know."

"But I heard that you came here with them," Eira said.

He rubbed the back of his neck, slightly awkward. "Yeah, we split up after we came here. Longshot and Smellerbee wanted to do their own thing and there's no point in stopping them."

"Right." Eira stared at Jet in contemplation. "I'm staying here in Ba Sing Se with Aang, Sokka and Katara," she explained. "We're in the Upper Ring and I was wondering if you wanted to visit."

Jet smiled cheekily. "I didn't realise you liked me that much, Eira. Last I remember we were arguing about my old treehouses and, you know, that old guy we robbed." He lowered to voice at the last bit, looking a bit ashamed.

"What? No," Eira said, what he was saying was starting to sink in. "We argued because… because…" Eira waved her hands helplessly trying to find the right words and failing miserably. "It was because you tried to wipe out a village."

Jet stepped back, his expression shocked before laughing nervously. "Good joke. Why on earth would I ever do that? When we last met I showed you around our group and when we had to steal from a guy for some money you and the others shouted at us and stormed off!"

"That's wrong, Jet. You got Aang and Katara to use their waterbending so you could break a dam and flood a village," Eira said coolly. This wasn't going how she wanted it to. Jet's expression hardened as he saw that she wasn't joking.

"Why would I do that? You're story's ridiculous!"

"Because the village was full of people from the Fire Nation," Eira hissed, lowering her voice.

"Yeah, just stop lying. We weren't in the Fire Nation, we were in the Earth Kingdom and why would an Earth Kingdom village be full of Fire Nation?" Jet smiled smugly, as if sure that he'd proven Eira wrong and seen through her "lie".

Eira clenched her fists. "I can't say," she said sharply, detesting what Long Feng had warned them about. She was almost certainly being watched by the Dai Li.

Jet laughed. "Yeah, I thought so. Nice to see ya'," he said, turning around and waving good-bye. Eira reached out and grabbed his shoulder.

"No, Jet! Please. You should come with me. You haven't seen the others," Eira said desperately. She was already too far to not at least try and help him out.

Jet glowered at her. All of his cheerfulness and initial happiness at seeing her was completely gone from his face.

"No, thanks. I have other things to do."

"But Jet, the others would really like to see you. I'm sorry I'm not sounding right at the moment I'm just… tired." Eira tried to smile convincingly. "I was just a little confused, seeing you without the others and I guess I'm a bit stir-crazy. I've been here more a couple of days. Aang wants to see the Earth King and until his request gets sent through we don't have anything to do."

Jet's expression relaxed a bit.

"We also have a new person with us. Her name is Toph and she's Aang's earthbending teacher. I'm sure you'd like her."

Jet looked down at the shattered tea pot and didn't react for at least a minute before speaking.

"Sure, fine. I'll see the others." He smirked. "So where are you staying. I'd guess the Avatar would be the guest of honour, right?"

Eira laughed. "Yeah, we're staying in the Upper Ring."

Jet's eyes widened. "Beats this place then."

Eira sighed quietly in relief. And she wasn't technically doing anything bad either. She hadn't mentioned the war at all and she'd stopped talking about what Jet had done. Perfect, hopefully.

Eira reached down to pick up her staff and she looked sadly at the shattered tea pot.

"Shame about the tea though. I was going to bring that for everyone."

"Can't you get some more?" Jet asked. Eira shook her head determinedly.

"No. I wouldn't want to trouble them," she explained. "I also don't have any more money with me."

Jet and Eira began to walk to the station, trying to keep up small talk. It was a bit difficult to talk and try and fill Jet in on what they had been doing without mentioning the war. He remembered their last meeting differently than what had happened due to his brainwashing and it wasn't a good idea to try and fix him in public.

She just hoped that the others wouldn't freak out when they saw him. From what she remembered Katara flat out attacked him at first sight. That wouldn't be very good.

"So is Ba Sing Se a nice place to live?" Eira asked as they sat on the train to the Upper Ring. She looked out of the window to see the sun setting quickly behind the walls. It must be a shame to live in the shadow of one of them.

Jet laughed. "You tell me. Newcomers in the Lower Rings aren't exactly the Avatar. I live in a small little place sharing a room with about five people. Not exactly luxury." He leant back against the side of the train. "The guys I live with are also acting weird around me as well. They're so uptight."

"Yeah," Eira agreed without really hearing him. She was busy staring out of the window with paranoia. Out of all of her "great" plans this wasn't really the smartest. Too late.

"I was told to go out and get some work but no one really wants to hire me. It's unfair," he complained.

"Yeah," Eira muttered again. "It must be quite strange living here in Ba Sing Se after living with all of your friends in that tree house thing."

Jet smiled as he remembered. "Yeah but…" His face scrunched up, straining. "We left. Huh, strange. I don't really remember why. Probably found out by the local guards or something."

Eira paused, thinking carefully about what she was going to say.

"Have you… forgotten a lot, lately?" she asked quietly.

"Well, not sure. It's kinda hard to think about what you don't know or remember. I hope Katara, Aang, and Sokka aren't too mad at me though. Then again, you're alright with me."

"Yeah. Warning, though. You may need to avoid Katara's waterbending," Eira said jokingly. "Something tells me that would be her first reaction."

"I may then be standing behind you," Jet said.

When the train stopped and they were at the Upper Ring it was night. The sun had set and the stars were shining in the sky. The moon was bright and as Eira looked at it she felt a strange feeling. It would be strange if she had failed and Yue had become the moon spirit. She would've known a person who had become the moon. She wondered what Yue was doing.

"Wow, they weren't kidding about this place!" Jet whistled as he looked around the area. You could see the moonlight reflecting off the golden rims of the buildings and the orange lanterns hung around the city were very beautiful. "This is nice."

As Jet looked around, his face soured slightly. "Quite a contrast to the other rings," he said cooly.

"I guess. It isn't really the best but that's just what happens in big cities," Eira said. She began to walk in the direction of the house they'd been assigned but Jet was starting to worry her. Every time he saw an even more extravagant house his face fell further. His hands twitched by his side.

"Jet," Eira said, concerned. "Are you alright."

Jet shook his head sharply. "This place is disgusting. They place I live is jam-packed and it's not like they're been well fed or paid. We may be refugees but with all of the space they have up here, you'd think they'd be able to share it around a bit more." He stopped. "Refugees? Wha-… What was I talking about?"

Eira felt paralysed as the blood rushed out of her face.

"Wait, weren't you going to say something about that?" he asked. "Yeah, you were about to say something when you crashed into me. Something about the Fire Nation."

"Jet, you really shouldn't-" EIra started but Jet wasn't stopping.

"Is that why all those people are there in the Lower Ring? Refugees, because of the Fire Nation?"

Eira forced a laugh, as if what he was saying was comical. "What? No, that's silly. I was just talking randomly. People from the Fire Nation were in that village because… because they were, uh, visiting. I think they were relatives of the people who lived there or something. Now, come on. We honestly should've been back sooner."

Eira walked a few more steps forward.

"You… You also said I tried to wipe out the village. Blow out the damn. Because of the Fire Nation," Jet added.

"No, no, no. I was just talking nonsense, you said it yourself." Eira was sounding a bit desperate and that was clearly not helping. She looked around. This was too dangerous. If Jet was starting to remember because of her.

"The others. They were with me, in a group. We were the freedom… fighters…" Jet muttered and at those words he gasped. He shivered and as he looked around his eyes widened in horror.

"The Dai Li! Lake Laogi! They took me there! What did they do to me!" EIra ran over to Jet and clamped her hand around his mouth, trying to muffle his voice.

"No, Jet! You can't say that. It's not true, you can't believe it," she hissed, looking around panicking. "It doesn't matter what you remember, you just need to stay calm and follow me."

Jet 's wide eyes relaxed somewhat and he nodded. Eira took his hand and they both ran through the Upper Ring. Eira used her airbending to speed them up and they were darting across the area. Just as they were about to turn the corner and reach the house, Eira tripped over thin air and they both fell hard to the ground.

Eira's skin scrapped the stone ground and all of her things went flying. She looked back at what she tripped over and saw a large spire of earth slowly sinking back to into the ground.

_No!_ The ground collapsed underneath her and everything went black. _…so…close…_

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**Gosh Eira. Not even 1 chapter. Ha ha, I'm not very nice to you am I?**

**I hope you enjoyed this and please review. I really want to hear what you thought.**


	15. Chapter 15-Lake Laogai

**I'm back with a new chapter! Thanks to Luckygirl1013, Rosezelene Ersa, and Sullivanright for the reviews :) Thanks a bunch!**

**Either way, I've been wanting to write this chapter ever since I started. I hope you guys like it!**

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Chapter 15: Lake Laogai

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Katara paced around the room anxiously, looking out of the window every couple of seconds. It was already past evening and it was getting later and later. It shouldn't take that long to just visit a teahouse or market or whatever.

"Maybe she just got lost," Sokka suggested as he relaxed on one of the plush chairs. Apparently he'd had a "fun" day, accidently being pretty good at poetry but then being thrown out and when he came back he was equally ranting and boasting about it. "The city is pretty big."

Katara ignored him. True, it was possible that she was just lost. As intelligent as she was sometimes she lacked any sort of sense but Katara knew that that was unlikely to be the answer. What if she'd gotten into trouble?

"Katara, it's Eira," Sokka said, trying to calm his sister down. "She can take care of herself…ish and even if she missed a train or something she probably had her glider with her. She could just fly back over here."

"But Sokka, what if she…" Katara didn't finish her sentence. They both knew what could've happened to her and frankly they didn't want to.

Katara continued her pacing and, fed up with it, Sokka went out of the room to go get some food.

In the distance, Katara heard some shouting. It sounded quite crazed in her opinion but it was a male voice so it couldn't be Eira. Katara sat down on the chair closest to the door and listened intently. The shouting had stopped. Katara shook her head to clear her mind. It probably wasn't important.

Katara kept on trying to convince herself that nothing was wrong, that Eira was fine, just a bit side-tracked, but nothing was working.

"Hey, Katara? Are you still up?" Katara turned her head sharply and saw Aang walking in through the corridor from their rooms. He was dressed for sleep and he was rubbing his bleary eyes.

Katara relaxed somewhat as she realised how tense she had been. She didn't bother to try and hide her concern though. Aang knew what was bothering her.

"Yeah. Eira's still not back yet."

Aang's face fell. "Really? What do you think happened?" He walked closer to where she was sitting and he looked out through the window into the dark street. Even the faint orange light of the lanterns was out now and only the moonlight illuminated the area so he could work out the basic silhouettes of the buildings around them.

"I'm worried she manged to get into trouble with the Dai Li," Katara admitted. "I think she might've lied about why she went out so she could do something stupid."

Aang shook his head adamantly. "She wouldn't do that."

"But she would," Katara corrected reluctantly. "Ever since we first met she was doing something stupid to try and help us. She pretended to be you so Zuko would capture her and leave you alone, she got herself attacked by that firebender in the Northern Water Tribe to stop him from hurting the spirits, and she even threw me out of the way so she got trapped by that general instead of me." As Katara said it out loud she realised how her suspicions and worries were becoming increasingly more realistic. "And the way she was talking to the _head_ of the Dai Li when he was threatening us. I'm just worried that she got herself arrested."

Aang looked deeply troubled. "But if she did… what can we do?" That question hung in the air. Aang and Katara didn't speak for another few minutes, though they stretched out into what felt like hours.

"We should at least try and get some sleep," Aang suggested. "Who knows? Maybe she'll turn up in the morning." Reluctantly they both went back down the corridor to their rooms. Katara didn't get much sleep at all. Aang's point kept on flaring up in her head. What _could_ they do? She doubted they could just go and ask. They'd probably be kicked out before they could do anything.

_If she's not back,_ Katara thought sleepily, her tiredness catching up with her. _We'll go looking._ It felt strange that it was only that evening everything had felt so calm. A nagging thought was the last thing she remembered before drifting off. _Why, Eira?_

o.O.o

"She's still not back," Katara said sharply as she flicked in and out of all of the rooms, everyone else with concerned looks on their faces. Katara stormed out into the lounge and began pacing again.

"What should we do then?" Toph asked.

"I don't know," Katara admitted reluctantly.

"Only Eira could get into trouble getting _tea_," Sokka said, somewhat exasperated. The whole situation was ridiculous.

"Maybe she wasn't though," Toph said quietly.

Aang looked sadly at her. "No one would be out all night like that without something happening." He sighed. "We need to accept that as reality."

"No, not about that," Toph said shortly. "I was talking about why she went out. When she suggested the idea to me and Katara she was acting strangely and her heart was going super fast, as if she was lying."

"She wouldn't lie to us," Katara said.

"But she _has_! I seriously doubt that _anyone_ could get arrested by getting tea. She must've been doing something else," Toph protested.

"That doesn't matter, though." Aang looked determinedly at everyone. Katara thought it was unlikely that Eira had lied to them. What would she have to lie about? She didn't know anything or anyone in Ba Sing Se… right?

"We should just go out and look for her," Aang said. "At least then we could find a clue or something."

"Yeah," Sokka said enthusiastically. "We shouldn't get all worried before we know anything. Let's go."

o.O.o

They first decided to look around the Upper Ring. They asked around the area but apparently no one knew anything. Nothing looked disturbed or strange, at least at first.

They were walking down the street on their way to the station when Toph suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"What is it?" Katara asked. Toph simply answered by pointing to the neat garden on the side of the road. It was filled with red, pink, and purple flower bushes.

"There's something there."

"I don't see anything," Sokka said, walking up to it. He poked around in the bush, pushing the flowers out of his way as he inspected it. "Wait, I think this is her bag." He reached inside it and took hold of the fabric item he saw and pulled it out.

It was muddy and slightly damaged but it did look like the dark green and brown bag Eira had bought in Omashu.

Sokka checked inside and found the papers and scrolls they'd found in the spirit library as well as a collection of papers that Eira had been drawing and writing on for months now, There was also a small travel stationary kit and… some clay shards?

"What are these?" Sokka asked aloud. The others gathered around him but no one had any suggestions.

"Did Eira write anything important? Maybe we can use that to see where she went," Aang said, reaching for a couple of the pages.

He looked at them intently but found that he was unable to read any of it. The only things he could figure out were a few of the drawings of places they had been. The writing was made of loopy lines vertically arranged on the page. It was unlike any of the calligraphy or symbols that he could read.

"How did we not notice she wrote in a different language?" Aang asked.

"What?" Sokka and Katara took a look at the writing and found that they couldn't read it either.

Katara took a step back to try and figure it out.

"It could be that language she was speaking. Maybe it's a different script?" she suggested.

"But she read normally, like us," Sokka protested. "Why change it?"

Sokka stuffed the paper and clay shards back in the bag and brushed it in a weak attempt to get rid of the mud and dirt.

"We can guess that something happened around here if her bag is here. I doubt she would just drop it," Katara said. She looked around at the road and nearby houses but she didn't see anything that would suggest any sort of unrest or attack.

"Let's keep going," she suggested. "We can go back to Appa and explore the other rings. For some reason I doubt we'll find much else here."

Everyone nodded in agreement and hurried back to the house, scooting around the side of the building to see the grassy rectangle that Appa had been staying in. When they first arrived it was a clean, finely cut lawn. Now it was patchy and uneven with some of the dirt showing where Appa had been grazing.

Aang ran up to the large bison and hugged his muzzle. Appa gave him a low growl in response. Smiling at the sight of his animal companion, Aang collected his saddle and hooked him up. Appa, while not particular unhappy with just being able to laze around, looked excited to be able to go and get some exercise, flying over Ba Sing Se.

Katara, Sokka, and Toph climbed onto the saddle and Aang leaped onto Appa's massive head and took hold of the reins.

Appa seemed to notice a lack of weight and gave Aang a confused bellow of sorts. Aang patted his head sadly.

"I know, Appa. Don't worry, we'll find her. Yip yip!"

Appa prepared to take flight but as he was about to take off he stopped. Aang peered over Appa's head.

"What is it?" Aang asked but his question was quickly answered as a young woman with dark hair and a green dress walked into their view. It was Joo Dee, the first one. She didn't look any different since the first time they saw her. Her face stayed fixed in blank, forced happiness.

"Hello, Aang, and Katara, and Sokka, and Toph." She spoke clearly and slowly, just as she always did.

"What happened to you?" Sokka asked quickly, jumping down from Appa's saddle to face her. "Did the Dai Li throw you in jail?"

"What? Jail?" she said with amused incredulousness. "Of course not. The Dai Li are the protectors of our cultural heritage."

"But you disappeared at the Earth King's party," Toph said.

"Oh, I simply took a short vacation to Lake Laogai, out in the country. It was quite relaxing," she explained.

Katara frowned. "But they replaced you with some other woman who also said her name was Joo Dee, and how would you go on vacation that quickly?"

Joo Dee paused, surprised. "I'm Joo Dee."

Aang looked at her suspiciously. "Why are you here?" he asked shortly.

"I'm afraid that the transportation of large animals throughout the city isn't permitted. You need proper clearance and permits to move large livestock."

"But we can't wait around to get permission for everything and, if you haven't noticed, one of our friends is missing!" Sokka protested. "Eira isn't here and we need to find her."

Joo Dee acted like she didn't hear Sokka's last comments.

"You are absolutely forbidden by the rules of the city to continue with this."

"We don't care about the rules and we're _not_ asking for permission!" Aang yelled angrily. "We need to find Eira and, unless you know where she is, stay out of our way! Appa. Yip yip!"

Aang flicked the reins and Appa leaped into the sky, knocking over Joo Dee with a gust of wind.

They were flying quickly away from the Upper Ring within seconds. Sokka looked back over the saddle and turned back to Aang.

"That might come back to bite us in the blubber," he admitted.

"I don't care!" Aang said, calming down from his outburst. "We need to find Eira. I don't care what they say."

Toph beamed widely despite her dislike of being back in the air. "Go, Twinkle Toes. Finally starting to grow a backbone."

Aang smiled sheepishly. "Thanks."

"So where first?" Sokka asked as he began trying to sort out the things in Eira's bag. It was surprisingly difficult to do whilst on a flying bison but nothing had blown off the saddle…yet. "I've tried to find something I can read in Eira's notes and stuff but the most I can use is the small little drawings she's done on some of them." He indicated to a small side doodle of Appa on a page of incomprehensible writing as an example. "The only noteworthy thing is that she drew like a bunch of Joo Dees and wrote something next to it, so maybe she knows what's going on there and tried to investigate it?"

Katara shook her head. "It wouldn't make sense. I mean, she told us about the Dai Li conspiracy. Why wouldn't she talk about that as well if she knew it?"

"Because it would make her look suspicious," Toph suggested. "She already knows a lot more than she's telling us. We know that for a fact."

"There aren't any leads aside from the clay shards in her bag and that she said that she was going to the "best" tea place in Ba Sing Se. We should try ask around for where that could be," Aang said. "Let's start in the Middle Ring and work from there."

"Why the Middle Ring?" Toph asked.

Aang shrugged. "It wasn't in the Upper Ring and I doubt it would be in the Lower Ring."

"Fair enough."

Appa began to descend down as they passed over the wall separating the Middle and Upper rings and landed in a small empty space near another smaller dividing wall.

Everyone jumped off Appa and looked around to see if anyone was near them.

Sokka twisted around to look off in the two different directions. "I think we should split up to cover more ground. Toph, I guess you could come with me."

Toph looked at him peevishly, crossing her arms and legs and she leant against a wall. "Why? You think I can't go looking by myself?"

"Well… you can't really…look," Sokka said. "Could you even describe Eira?"

Toph paused. "Fine."

The two groups split up, promising to meet up next to Appa after about an hour or so. Aang and Katara wandered together into an open square with a large fountain in the centre of it. The day was warm and sunny and next to the fountain the whole place was looking quite beautiful. Katara would've felt at ease if it wasn't for their lost friend.

It was all surprisingly empty. They didn't really see anyone at all as they walked through the different streets. When the asked about the tea shop most people just came up with personal favourites. None of them were new or sounded like where Eira would go and when they visited them, they found nothing.

"Maybe it isn't in the Middle ring," Aang said as they exited yet another shop where the owner had tried to pressure them into buying practically everything but then kicked them out when they said they weren't there to buy anything.

"Maybe," Katara mused quietly.

"Wait! You guys!" They turned quickly to their left at a familiar voice yelling at them. Katara quickly went into a defensive waterbending position and Aang's hand reached for his staff but they stopped in shock as they saw who were running towards them.

It was Longshot and Smellerbee, from Jet's gang! A boyish girl with shaggy brown hair and red face paint alongside a taller long-faced boy with small eyes and a quiver and bow hung over his shoulder were running towards them, looking worried.

Katara glanced at Aang and they both looked apprehensive. They hadn't really parted ways with Jet's group happily. Katara especially felt bitter about being tricked into destroying that village. Thank goodness Eira and Sokka cleared out the town first.

Katara scanned their surroundings for any sight of Jet or the others but she saw nothing. It was only those two.

"Longshot? Smellerbee? Why are you two here in Ba Sing Se? Where's Jet?" Katara asked, somewhat harshly.

They both stopped and exchanged looks. It was like a short silent conversion.

"We were going to ask you the same thing," Smellerbee said.

"What do you mean?" Aang asked, dropping his defensive pose completely.

"We came here to Ba Sing Se to start over, like all of the others. We had to abandon our tree fort and we all split up," Smellerbee explained. "We came here along with Jet but he started to stalk these tea guys he said were from the Fire Nation. He attacked them and got arrested by the Dai Li."

Katara gasped. "But why would he attack them?"

"He was being paranoid. It was like he couldn't rest with the very thought of firebenders being here. Either way, we split with him. We still heard about his arrest and wanted to check it out but then we heard something else," Smellerbee said vaguely.

"What?" Aang asked.

"Apparently a light-haired girl was looking for him. We assumed that was Eira so we tried to find you guys to see why," she explained.

"But…that's impossible," Katara said quietly. "There was no way she would know about you guys being here. We certainly didn't."

"The thing is, Eira's gone missing," Aang said in a hushed tone.

"What?"

"She went out and didn't come back. She said that she was going to get some tea." Aang looked down sadly. "I guess she was going to find Jet, if she was looking for him."

"But that still doesn't explain _how_ she knew he was here!" Katara protested.

Aang looked up at Katara. "It's as Toph said, she does know some things we don't."

"But if that's the case how do we find her?"

"Psst!"

The four of them turned quickly to see an elderly shopkeeper looking in all directions before focussing on them. He looked frail with thin limbs and a slightly hunched back. His thinning hair was white and wispy and his eyes were dull and brown. "Psst! Over here."

Cautiously, they moved towards the old man, who had started to pretend to sort some of the fruit in a basket in front of his shop. "I couldn't help but overhear ya' talking about two missing people, a light-haired girl and a boy, right?"

Aang nodded.

"Well, I saw them," he whispered. "They were acting nervous. The boy started freaking out about something or other. Said they were heading out of town or somethin'."

"Did you hear where?" Aang asked quickly but the man shook his head. He looked nervous about something. They were about to leave but he reached out, slipping something into Aang's hand.

He shook his head vigorously and raised a finger to his lips.

Aang, a little startled, began to walk away a bit faster, trying to act natural as he kept the paper clenched in his fist.

"We should get back to Appa," Katara said adamantly. She looked at Smellerbee and Longshot. "You should come with us too. If we find Eira, we'll probably find Jet." The pair nodded and they all hurried back to the dividing wall were they left Appa.

Sokka and Toph were already there, looking bored as they leant against the wall, not really doing anything. The lack of emotion on their faces told Katara and Aang that they hadn't found anything.

"Katara, Aang, hey- Wait, why are _they_ here?" Sokka pointed at Longshot and Smellerbee, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Who?" Toph asked, facing their direction aggressively.

"Their names are Longshot and Smellerbee," Aang said before Sokka could offend them. He looked seriously at Sokka. "They're here to help us look for Eira. Jet has gone missing as well. We'll explain later."

He jumped up onto Appa's head. Katara, Toph, Smellerbee and Longshot climbed up onto Appa's saddle, ignoring Sokka confused expression.

"Come on, Sokka," Katara called, shocking her brother from his stupor. Begrudgingly, he got up and they all flew back into the air.

As soon as they were high enough not to be heard or seen, Sokka turned on them.

"Explain," he demanded. "What do you mean they're helping us? And Jet? What does he have to do with this?"

Katara explained what had happened after they separated as Sokka and Toph listened intently.

"…So, Eira's with Jet. That's what she was really doing?" Sokka said.

Katara nodded. "That's what we think."

Sokka shook his head incredulously. "But why?"

"We don't know yet. I guess when we find her we'll ask her, right?"

Aang looked down at his still clenched hand and opened it, making sure the piece of paper inside it didn't fly away in the wind. Written on it was the words _Lake Laogai_. Aang's eyebrows knitted together in concentration.

"Wait, you know that man who saw Eira," Aang started. "I think he also knew more than he said." Aang presented the piece of paper to everyone.

"What does it say?" Toph asked.

"It says Lake Laogai."

Sokka's eyes widened in shock. "Isn't that where Joo Dee said she went on vacation?"

"Does anyone know where it is?" Katara asked. Sokka reached into both his and Eira's bags and sorted out the maps the two of them had, but he shook his head.

"No, there are quite a few lakes around Ba Sing Se. I wouldn't know where to start," he said.

Aang looked determinedly ahead of him. "We have Appa. We can check them out." He looked back at Sokka. "So, which direction?"

o.O.o

They flew for about half an hour, past the Lower Ring but not past the boundaries of the Outer Ring where Sokka said it would be most likely to be. They were out of the main city and to be honest, Aang was glad. The whole time in the city they were being watched and waiting for a meeting with the king that would never come. Hopefully after they found Eira and Jet they'd be able to finally get to see him and tell him about the plan.

The Outer Ring area was quite beautiful. It was a bit rocky but covered in greenery and the lake they landed at was crystal blue. The water shone in the sun and as they walked along the edge it rolled in and out on the stony earth.

Aang jumped off Appa and turned to Toph as she landed flat-footed on the earth.

"Can you see anything?" he asked quietly. Everyone else got off Appa and surrounded her as she bent down to get a better look, placing her palm on the ground.

"I see something beneath us, but it's unclear," she said. She got up and wandered over further down the lake. She bent down again to get another look.

"Wait! I see it! There's a whole network of tunnels under the lake!" she announced loudly. Everyone ran over to her.

"Are you sure, Toph?" Sokka asked.

"Can you see Jet?" Smellerbee looked at her expectantly. Toph slid her foot towards the lake and the water separated as a path of earth rose, revealing a circular slab of rock which she slid off with the same technique.

Everyone gathered around the hole and there was a small moment of hesitation between them all. Aang looked back at Appa nervously, who had plodded over closer to them.

"Appa, maybe you should fly to cover. We might be a while," he said. He checked his pocket for his bison whistle and nodded to Appa. Appa, understanding, slammed his tail into the ground and flew away towards the more forest-covered area that rested on top of a small rocky hill surrounding the lake.

With a deep breath, Aang lowered himself down the hole and jumped down, landing on a wet stone floor with a light cushion of air under his feet. With horrible curiosity Aang looked around the area and frowned. It certainly wasn't a pleasant place. The dark stone slabs covered the floor, walls, and ceiling under the dim green light of several black lanterns hung on the wall. It was silent if not for the small drips of water echoing throughout the tunnel.

Aang heard footsteps and flinched until he realised they were coming from above him. Sokka, Katara, Toph, Smellerbee, and Longshot were slowly making their way down the metal bars that made a ladder.

Katara landed next to Aang and looked around with a similar look of distaste.

"A part of me hopes Eira and Jet _aren't_ here," she admitted quietly, trying not to make too much noise.

Aang nodded. He couldn't imagine what condition they'd be in if they were.

The other landed around them and Aang looked hopefully at Toph.

"I don't suppose you can see Jet or Eira now?"

Toph shook her head regretfully. "No. I don't know who this Jet even is aside from that he hates the Fire Nation and is their friend and Eira is too much like you, Twinkle Toes. She walks too lightly."

"Then I guess we should just continue through here," Aang suggested. With no alternative, they marched down the dark tunnel.

The green lanterns did very little to light their way but did much to add to the creepy atmosphere. They walked as quietly as they could and looked into any room they could to try and see if Eira and Jet were there but in some cases they regretted it.

Inside a square room there were a dozen women all standing shoulder to shoulder in front of a Dai Li agent with glazed looks in their eyes and faces. They were all dressed the same and in an identical way to Joo Dee but with different hairstyles and faces.

The Dai Li agent chanted in front of them in a slow calm voice.

"I am Joo Dee," he began. "Welcome to Ba Sing Se."

"I am Joo Dee. Welcome to Ba Sing Se," they chorused.

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order."

"We're so lucky to have our walls to create order."

Aang stepped back quickly, feeling sick. What if Eira _was_ here?

"Let's keep moving," Katara said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Longshot and Smellerbee walked close to each other, silently supporting each other as the creepy atmosphere began to weigh down on them.

They reached the end of the tunnel with a large steel door taking up most of it. Aang took hold of the handle and pulled it, finding that it opened surprisingly easily despite its size and weight. It didn't even make a sound, not a squeak or creak. The silence filled Aang with a sense of foreboding.

They walked into a much larger cavern-like room filled with green light and metal hooks hanging from the ceiling and several barred exits around it. It was just a dim as the other areas but as soon as they all made it into the room, it quickly brightened, revealing the many Dai Li agents hovering above them and Long Feng standing in front of them.

"Now that's something different," Sokka commented blankly as he stared at the now apparent danger surrounding them.

"You have made yourselves enemies of the state," Long Feng announced. "Take them into custody."

The Dai Li agents dropped down, swarming them and firing their rock gloves at them. Toph shot rocks from the ground at them and the gloves exploded into dust. With quick motions she sent earth pillars at them and the Dai Li agents went flying through the air. Sokka ran forwards alongside Katara and the two of them started to fight off more agents as Aang, Smellerbee and Longshot were doing their best to fight off the others.

Rock gloves were sent flying towards Sokka and Katara but they quickly broke them up with a mixture of sword and waterbending. Two more almost hit them but they also exploded into dust with a shot from Toph.

Toph raised a large section of the earth, separating them from most of the agents.

"Run!" she yelled. She, Katara and Sokka sprinted towards the door, slamming two agents out of the way with their bending. Toph blew out the wall with earthbending and they ran through the debris, jumping over the door, not aware that Aang, Smellerbee, and Longshot were not following them.

Longshot shot arrow after arrow at the Dai Li agents, Smellerbee fought them off with her sword, and Aang was a powerhouse, fending off multiple agents at once.

"Long Feng is escaping!" he yelled as he knocked back two agents with his airbending.

The three of them chased after him through one of the barred exits into a room with many pipes of different sizes sticking out of the wall, many of them pouring with water. As they entered, the room sealed itself, the exit closing itself up.

Aang turned angrily to Long Feng who stood in front of them, still looking calm but Aang could tell he was getting aggravated.

"All right, Avatar, you've caused me enough problems. This is your last chance… if you want to see you friend alive," he threatened.

"You do have Eira and Jet!" Aang shouted. "Tell me where they are!"

"Agree to leave the city now, and I'll waive all charges against you and release your friend," he said.

Aang lowered his staff towards Long Feng. "You're in no position to bargain."

Long Feng's face held a trace of a smile. It only made his look more sinister. "Am I not?" His eyes bored into Aang's face with their dark intensity. "I believe you have not noticed that you are alone, Avatar. Your other friends have been separated and I believe they are facing quite a serious opponent. If you agree to leave now, they will be called off."

"Enough of this!" Smellerbee said angrily, glaring at Long Feng. "Where's Jet?"

"Jet has been troublesome. Disturbing the peace twice even after his re-education."

"What do you mean," Smellerbee demanded.

"If it failed once, we're not going to waste our time trying again. We have to maintain a peaceful Ba Sing Se. In that, Jet had no place. We had to dispose of him."

Aang's body went cold. It was as if his blood turned to ice. "You mean…"

"Jet is no more." Smellerbee and Longshot's faces fell, looking full of despair. Longshot's bow arm fell in shock, his face more expressive than Aang had ever seen before.

"I believe this is more reason to leave. If not, she will meet the same fate."

Aang's arm shook. "No, I won't let you!"

"You no longer have a choice in the matter. Agree to my terms or your friend will die."

With reflexes Aang would've thought were impossible Longshot fired his bow at Long Feng, eyes shining. The arrow flew towards Long Feng but the earth spiked up from the ground, blocking it.

"Fools," he growled as he fled, leaving through a hole in the wall which quickly sealed behind him.

Smellerbee shook with painful sadness as she stared at the wall he had just been through. Aang felt a horrible numbness. Jet couldn't be dead. Long Feng had to be lying.

"You need to go back," Longshot said a small quiet voice. "He said the others were being attacked. You should help them."

"But what about you?" Aang asked. Longshot didn't speak. He looked at Smellerbee and they both understood.

"Alright," Aang said. "But get out of here as soon as possible."

Longshot nodded and Aang, with only a brief glance back, ran out of the room.

o.O.o

"Wait! Where are Aang and the others?" Toph asked, stopping in her tracks. Katara and Sokka stopped with her and looked around, realising she was right.

"Do you think they're still back there?" Sokka said, looking back down to the tunnel. They weren't back, in fact, no one was there. No Dai Li agents, no nothing.

"Maybe they-" Toph began but she stopped.

"Toph? What's-"

"Duck."

"What?" To answer Sokka's question a foot slammed into his chest, winding him and sending his flying into the floor.

Katara and Toph lashed out at the figure but they fizzled out as they saw who was attacking them. It was Eira! Her dark blue eyes were glazed over and her long light hair blew around her eerily. She stood tall as her blank face glared at them.

Before they could adjust to the sight she punched a blast of air at them. Katara and Toph rolled out of the way to avoid it and Toph flung a pillar of rock at her.

"Toph!" Katara protested.

"What?!" Eira span out of the way and sent a gust at them, sending the two of them flying back.

"Eira! Why are you going this?" Katara asked, holding her ground. Why was she attacking them?!

Eira didn't respond. It was like she couldn't even hear at all.

Eira lashed out at them with bending Katara had never seen before. Katara iced the floor to try and trip her up but she simply glided along the wall and attacked from behind.

Katara fell forwards and skidded on the ice, burning her arms as she tried to protect herself.

"Stop this, Fairy Feet!" Toph sent more earth flying at her to try and stop her but with every attack, Eira just dodged and twisted into an attack sending air flying at Toph at gale force level strength.

Toph summoned a wall of earth as cover to avoid it and barrelled towards Eira, using it to avoid her attacks.

"Since when was she this strong?" Toph grumbled.

Eira rose into the air, over the cover, arms raised, and as she fell to the ground something went wrong. The air buzzed with energy and Toph collapsed to the ground. The air suddenly felt heavy and crushing as Eira seemed to push the air down and compress it over Toph.

Toph cried out as she struggled against the pressure and Katara's eyes widened at her pain.

"No! Stop! Can't you see you're hurting Toph!" she cried, running towards Eira but she didn't want to hurt her either.

As Katara struggled with what to do out of nowhere a heavy object struck Eira on the head and she crumpled to the ground, the air pressure returned to normal and Toph relaxed, exhausted. Sokka was stood there, arm outstretched as he had just thrown his boomerang and eyes wide as if he couldn't believe what just happened.

"Sokka!" Katara cried. "Why did you do that?!"

"She was doing something to Toph! I couldn't just let that happen!" Sokka retorted. "Something's obviously happened to her and she couldn't stay in that condition."

Sokka reached down to collect his boomerang and then helped Toph up onto her feet.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah. 'M fine." Toph didn't look too hurt. Just a bit shaken. She looked down at Eira's now unconscious body lying on the floor. "I want to know what they did to make her do that."

Katara and Sokka picked her up and supported her together just as they heard more movement.

"It's Twinkle Toes," Toph announced happily. She was right. Aang was running towards them, but without the others.

"Aang!"

Aang stopped in front of him, a smile on his face as he saw them all but it faded quickly to form a quizzical expression as he saw Eira's unconscious body.

"What happened?"

"Long story," Sokka said quickly. "We will explain later but for now we need to leave."

Aang nodded and as they stood under the hole they entered in and before anyone could try and climb the ladder Toph stomped her foot and sent them all flying up as the floor rose beneath them.

As they adjusted to the light they began to run. Well, until they notice the legion of Dai Li agents in front of them.

"You think we can outrun them?" Sokka asked hopefully.

"I don't think it's gonna matter!" Aang said as he saw the Dai Li agents to their side rise up, creating walls and boxing them in.

Aang reached into his pocket and blew the bison whistle. The silent whistle seemed anti-climactic but it came through as Appa soared through the sky towards them. He smashed through the rock walls, scattering the Dai Li agents and Toph and Aang used the distraction to use their earthbending to shove the nearby agents into the water where Katara iced them in.

Appa was confronting Long Feng as they got to him and they smiled widely as Appa used his mouth to throw Long Feng aside by the leg. They hauled Eira onto the saddle and climbed aboard as Appa flew away, out of the range of the Dai Li.

Appa took them to the sheltered forested area he had been hiding in and everyone took a collective deep breath to recover from the experience.

"So… what happened to Eira?" Aang asked, concerned as he looked at her. When he pictured finding her he hadn't exactly thought they'd have to go through all of that.

Sokka, Katara, and Toph all looked nervous and unsure.

"We're not exactly sure," Sokka admitted. "As we were running out of that room, we noticed you didn't follow us but then, out of nowhere, Eira showed up and attacked us. She did some weird air pressure thing around Toph so I hit her with my boomerang." Sokka paused. "I think she's been brainwashed or something. She had the same blank look as those… Joo Dees we saw back there."

"What!" Aang shouted in shock. "What if it's permanent?"

"I don't know. Maybe Katara could heal her with her waterbending thing?" Sokka suggested.

Katara looked deep in thought at Eira. "I think the first thing we should do is wake her up. We can work from there."

She leant over and splashed Eira with water.

"Eira, wake up!"

* * *

**Sorry for the cliffhanger, again-ish. I hope you liked this. I really appreciate the views and reviews you guys give me and I'm sorry for the waiting... I'm awful.**

**Anyway, please tell me what you thought! I love hearing from you :)**


	16. Chapter 16-The Earth King

**Sorry for the wait again but I'm on holiday now so they should be more frequent. I want to finish this by the end of the summer, only two chapters left now until this season is done.**

**I hope you like this chapter and please review after reading :D**

* * *

Chapter 16: The Earth King

* * *

"NO! LET GO OF ME! WHERE'S JET!?" Eira kicked, screamed, and thrashed as the Dai Li agents grabbed her arms to direct her down the horrible damp, dark stone tunnel to wherever they wanted to take her.

She sucked in all of the air she could and it blew out with explosive force, knocking the guards back and temporarily freeing herself. She sprinted down, heart racing and shouting at the top of her breath. "JET! JET! WHERE ARE YOU?!" She looked to the side desperately. This was all her fault! All her fault! She felt their rock hands being fired off towards her and she jumped up, dodging them and shattering them to dust with her airbending as she kicked at them.

She ran as fast as she could down the tunnels, disorientated, confused, and angry at herself and the Dai Li. How could she let this happen to herself? Jet was basically fine when she saw him! He was happier and wouldn't have gotten arrested by the Dai Li. Again! Because of her! All of the tunnels looked exactly the same. She had no idea where she was and no idea how she was going to get out.

She was on the verge of tears as she called out for Jet and ran out. She skidded to a halt as she met a crossroads but before she could decide which way to go she was slammed to the floor by a pillar of stone erupting from the earth.

Eira cried out and scrambled forwards to get back up as quickly as she could but the Dai Li agents caught up to her and used earthbending to bind her hands and even cover her mouth. Eira was swearing like an English sailor as she tried to escape from them but she wasn't Aang. She wasn't an earthbender. She wasn't strong enough to break free. The Dai Li agents hauled her up and returned to moving her again but with greater force and speed. Clearly, Eira wasn't going to escape again.

Her eyes shined and a tear of frustration rolled down her cheek as she looked around hopelessly.

She was thrown into a makeshift chair in a small cell-like room and the earth around her held her in.

This was it, her literal worst nightmare. Trapped underground where no-one who cared would know where she was _and_ about to get brainwashed. Just like Jet. Eira hoped he was just going to be reconditioned again. Then, maybe, he wouldn't die. She just hoped that he managed to survive. Then she wouldn't have killed him.

A faceless Dai Li agent entered the room and looked at her straight in the eye as the lanterns around him lit up, illuminating the small room with dim orange light.

"You are safe here," he began and the lights rotated around him eerily. The light dimmed and flashed around him and Eira tried to avert her eyes from it and tune out his voice but everything about the situation forced her to listen to every word he said.

"There is no war in Ba Sing Se."

_I'm sorry Katara, Toph. I should've told you what I was going to do,_ Eira thought.

"The order must be protected in Ba Sing Se."

_I'm sorry, Mum, Dad, Jenna. I'm sorry I left. I should've just ignored that glow._

"There is no war within these walls. Only order."

_I'm so, so sorry everyone,_ Eira thought as her mind started to blur. With every flash and word her mind clouded. _I hate this. I wish I never watched the stupid show. I wish those spirits never abducted me. I… I…. I…_

Everything went dark.

…

…

…

"Gagh!" Eira spluttered as a feeling of pain, numbness, wet, and cold hit her in a horrible shock. The black suddenly switched to white as light overwhelmed her. Her nose twitched as she tried to adjust but she couldn't stop herself as she sneezed and was sent flying backwards with the uncontrollable force of her airbending and began to fall. She landed hard on her back and winded herself, temporarily stopping her and allowing her for the first time to think. Where did she fall from? On that note, where was she? Last thing she… she was UNDER LAKE LAOGAI! Eira cried out as she remembered and tried to jump up, despite still not being able to see properly yet but as soon as she did she felt herself being encased in earth, unable to move. She thrashed and cried out more. Was it the Dai Li again?! WHERE WAS SHE!?

"Eira! Eira, calm down! Toph, let her go." A soft voice broke through her panic and Eira tried to focus on where she heard it from. The earth around her retreated and Eira fell back to the ground, unsupported. She blinked several times and the blurring began to disappear. There were several shapes in front of her. They looked familiar.

"Eira, it's us," it spoke, getting a bit louder as it came nearer.

"K-Katara?" Eira croaked. She blinked rapidly and her vision finally returned back to normal. In front of her was Katara, leaning down with a concerned yet apprehensive expression. Behind Katara were Aang, Sokka, and Toph and to their side was Appa. Judging by where Eira was she guessed that she had just fallen off Appa. They were all in a rocky area but with full green trees covering them with shade and none of it looked familiar, leaving Eira with an even greater sense of disorientation.

Katara's expression lit up as she looked at Eira. "Thank goodness," she breathed.

"Is she back to normal?" Sokka asked, walking cautiously towards the two girls.

"N-Normal?" Eira muttered questioningly. "What does he…" Eira stopped as her memories caught up with her, sharp as a knife. "The Dai Li! Jet!" Eira's eyes widened as she looked around quickly. Where were they! They had to be around! They wouldn't have just left! "Where are they?" Eira asked with the same desperation.

Katara clamped two hands on her shoulders and forced Eira to look directly at her.

"Eira. Look at me," she ordered. "You need to rest here now. Especially after…"

"A-After what? What…. What did they do?" Eira asked.

Katara's face fell. "You can't remember?" she asked quietly.

Eira's eyes widened even more in fear. "Remember what?"

Katara released Eira from her grip and stepped back unsurely.

"You were-Well, something happened to you. We don't really understand it but something the Dai Li did cause you to…to attack us," Katara said, trying to say it in a way that wouldn't worry her but it was failing.

"I…attacked you?" Eira said slowly, shaking slightly. That was too much like what happened with Jet. JET! "Where's Jet?"

Eira looked at Aang. Aang was the one who fought with Jet in the show. His face fell and he turned away.

"He died. Long Feng killed him," Aang said quietly as if trying not to be heard but with the complete lack of background noise they rung loud and clear in her mind.

Eira just didn't react. She didn't know how to. This all-everything-had to be wrong. It… It didn't happen in the show. Jet wouldn't be dead just like that. She couldn't have been forced to attack them or brainwashed. It was Jet in the show. Of course she did black out after the light and the Dai Li agent but he just said the same thing as what happened with Jet. Wouldn't that mean that she should've woken up with no memories in Ba Sing Se?

Nothing made sense. It felt insane.

There was a horrible silence as Eira felt all of their eyes on her. She just wanted to evaporate and disappear into thin air. Sadly, bending didn't do that.

"Eira," Toph said, breaking the silence. "Why didn't you tell us about this Jet guy? Or where you were going?"

Eira looked up at Toph to see a familiar expression. She had seen it quite a bit on her journey. Distrust. Eira looked around all of their faces and saw the same thing. It felt like it physically hurt her to see it. Like everything at the moment, it felt wrong.

"I-" Eira didn't know what to say. Hiding her intentions just caused problems. It had caused nothing but problems. But how could she explain her intentions when they came from something they physically couldn't understand? "I want to tell you, but it's really, really hard for me. I just don't know," she finished pathetically,

"You could at least try," Toph retorted. "We had no idea where you were, Fairy Feet. You just disappeared and the next thing we knew you were attacking us in a hideout under a lake. We deserve to know."

"I know. The best I can say to explain it is… I guess how I tried to explain it to Suki," Eira said.

"What?" Sokka exclaimed. "When did you explain this to Suki?"

"We talked on our way to Ba Sing Se. I basically told her about how before I came here- to this world- I saw things about this journey. I saw things like Yue dying, Jet dying, and Appa being stolen by sandbenders when we were in the desert."

"But, Appa and Yue are okay," Katara said.

"I know. Because I changed it. I stopped Zhao from killing the moon spirit which prevented Yue from having to sacrifice her own spirit to take their place. I also prevented Appa from being stolen by asking someone else to stay with Toph. If it wasn't for that Toph wouldn't be able to keep the library up and keep them away at the same time." Eira looked to Toph and held her hands up quickly in defence. "I know you're really strong and all but it was an entire library and a horde of them. Despite you're strength you were on sand and Appa was eventually taken."

Eira looked to Katara and hung her head in shame. "It was selfish of me to coerce you into not going down with us. I should've been the one to stay up since it mattered to me so much I would change it. But I wanted to try and get more information in the library."

Katara's expression was nothing less than confused. Eira couldn't blame her. It was a lot to take in that a friend foresaw tragedies and was secretly acting to make sure they didn't happen, but surprisingly she didn't look upset in the slightest like Eira was expecting.

"I won't pretend I completely understand this," she admitted. "But either way I get it. You're in a different world. You'd want to learn about it."

"But you're still not telling us why you decided to wander off into Ba Sing Se on your own after lying to us," Toph said, clearly annoyed.

"I saw Jet dying! I saw him being killed and I wanted to stop it. I thought that if I found him and brought him back we'd all prevent it. We had Appa with us so he wouldn't find us on his own and he'd be stuck brainwashed and alone forever. But when we reached the Upper Ring he flipped out at all of the inequality and remembered again. Then…Then, I don't quite know what went on. I don't know where Jet was taken and I don't remember what I did."

"You attacked us," Sokka said solemnly.

Eira looked away from them. She didn't really know how to feel. She apparently attacked her friends, but it was while she was brainwashed. She didn't remember any of it. Nothing.

"I guess there _is_ an upside to me being so bad at learning airbending then," she said quietly.

"It's alright, Eira," Katara said calmly. "We don't blame you for that. We're all together again and that's what matters."

"Now you won't be keeping more secrets from us anymore and sneaking around we should be fine," Toph said.

Seeing Toph's face clear of her distrust felt like a huge boulder had been lifted from her shoulder. Eira felt much lighter and free without it all keeping her down.

She couldn't feel _good_ per se, but she was feeling better. They still needed to take down the Dai Li completely before she felt _good_. They said Jet was dead. They said she'd attacked them. She had been brainwashed. She needed to find out more before her mind would be at peace.

"Now we've escaped the Dai Li, we've got Eira back. We should head back to the Earth King and tell him our plan," Sokka said cheerfully. "We're on a roll."

"Two good things after months of trouble isn't exactly a roll," Katara countered.

"Then let's build on it. We need to invade the Fire Nation during the eclipse. We'll need the Earth King's support," Sokka said.

"What makes you say we'll get it?" Toph asked. "Things haven't been going so smoothly lately. I think we should leave and forget this ever happened."

"But I think that's even more reason we should tell him," Sokka insisted.

"Sokka," Katara began. "Long Feng controls Ba Sing Se with the Dai Li and… after what happened with Eira I think we should do what Toph said. It'd be better if we just leave this horrible place behind us."

"We've all seen enough of Ba Sing Se and I can't even see," Toph agreed, waving her hand in front of her blank eyes.

"But with Eira back there's nothing stopping us from going there and exposing Long Feng," Aang said, smiling. "We can tell the Earth King the truth about him and the war."

"See? Aang's with me." Sokka put his arm around Aang's shoulders and smiled widely. "I mean this is the reason we came here."

"I think Eira should decide. She's been through a lot and-"

"We need to tell the King," Eira said firmly.

Everyone looked at her in shock, even Sokka and Aang. "It doesn't matter what happened to me. The Earth Kingdom can't survive with their King only being a puppet."

"I guess that's that. We're telling the Earth King." Sokka turned dramatically with his announcement and his face fell as he saw ships on the lake below them. "And they're searching for us." He looked to Katara. "So?"

Katara thought silently for a moment before nodding to her brother.

"Let's fly."

Eira was glad to be back on Appa, riding through the sky and feeling the wind on her face. It was so much better than being underground. She also got her staff and bag back despite their slightly damaged appearance with mud and twigs on them.

She looked through her bag and looked at a random page of her notes.

"I never thought how strange it would be for you to see this," she admitted. "I can read what you guys write but I can't actually write it myself. I guess I'm partially illiterate here."

"Someone should teach you how," Sokka said.

"Maybe later."

They flew quickly towards the Inner Ring and the King's palace but as they approached Katara looked more nervous.

"There it is! That whole thing is the palace! The Earth King should be in there." Sokka leant over the side of Appa and pointed at the massive collection of walls and buildings inside the Inner Ring.

"We have to be careful," Katara said. "Long Feng's probably warned the King that we're coming."

"Why would you assume that? If you ask me, we're gonna sail right in and-Aahhh!" Sokka ducked back into the saddle like a groundhog going back into the ground as a rock flew over his head, barely missing him.

"What was that?" Toph asked, clinging to the side of the saddle.

"Surface-to-air rocks!" Sokka yelled, jumping back up to get a better view. "More incoming!"

Appa swerved to avoid the shower of rocks being thrown at them. Some went just above their heads as others skimmed Appa's legs. A couple flew right at their faces but Aang, at the head, threw them away or shattered them to dust with his earthbending and airbending.

Aang launched himself off Appa as they flew towards the Earth Palace's gates and with his earthbending he threw the guards out of their way. Appa landed heavily on the ground in front of the palace stairs and roared at the ostrich horses and their mounted guards.

Everyone stood up on Appa's saddle and prepared to fight off attackers as Appa tried to get towards the doors.

Eira held her staff tightly in her hands and blew several men around Appa meters away into the surrounding walls. More and more guards were being sent their way as well as ammunition. Cubes of the walls were being flung at them by the earthbenders to be blocked by Toph and Aang's walls.

Katara lashed out with her waterbending and visibly winced every time she made contact.

"Sorry!" she apologised as she water whipped another two guards. "Sorry!"

Toph and Aang rushed their hands towards the stairs and the stairs flipped and smoothed creating a ramp. They both rose Appa up the stairs on a platform and Eira blasted the remaining guards behind Appa far away.

"We just need to get through to see the Earth King!" Katara shouted after them guiltily.

"Incoming!" Sokka yelled as the earthbenders on top of the bridge sent two seven or eight feet tall statues from the entrance towards them.

Aang and Toph rose up another wall to deflect them but it all smashed into a cloud of dust. Eira waved her staff at it with airbending and the cloud blew into the earthbenders' faces.

Katara rose up the water below them into an ice bridge and they leapt over.

Aang liquefied the water again and them refroze it, trapping three more earthbenders.

"Seriously, we're on your side!" Sokka shouted at them, sprinting past into the palace. "Sorry!"

Eira ran after him and they found themselves in a massive entrance hall with three large ornate doors on the northern, eastern, and western walls.

"Which way to the Earth King?" Sokka asked as Toph easily defeated more guards.

"The middle one, duh," Eira said. It was the furthest away and the most ornate. Pretty obvious.

Sokka and Eira jumped over a fallen pillar and Eira glided them both quickly to the other side of the hall.

Sokka stood in front of it, arms on his hips. Impressed.

"That's one impressive door." He pushed at it but it didn't budge. "Yahh!" He strained against its weight but to no avail.

Toph looked like she would've rolled her eyes as she kicked at the door frame and it all went down with a mighty crash and Sokka falling on top of. He glared daggers at Toph. "A little warning next time."

They all walked through, guards up, and the Earth King was sat on his throne, Long Feng at his side as well as the actual bear Bosco. Dai Li agents stood in their way.

The Earth King looked surprisingly young with a smooth face, dark eyes wide from shock and a generally good-natured appearance. It was quite a contrast to the man next to him.

"We need to talk to you," Aang announced in a loud but calm voice.

"They're here to overthrow you," Long Feng lied, turning to face the king.

"No, we're on your side. We're here to help," Sokka said.

"We would've preferred not to break in, by the way," Eira said, just to be clear.

The Earth King stood up, aghast.

"You invade my palace, lay waste to my guards, break down my fancy door, and you expect me to trust you?" The rising aggravation and disbelief in his voice was not a good start.

"Sorry," Eira mumbled.

"But he does have a point," Toph noted.

While he looked unsure about, well, everything, the Earth King stood firm.

"If you are on my side, then drop your weapons and stand down," he commanded.

They all looked at each other and did as he said, dropping their fighting stances. Dropping her staff to the floor felt awful and made her feel vulnerable but she knew she had to. She still had her airbending without it, even if it helped a good deal in actual fighting. Aang dropped his own staff to the floor, Katara put her water back into her water skin, Sokka's machete clattered on the ground and the boulder Toph was holding up fell behind her.

"See?" Aang said, trying to be cheerful. "We're all friends, your Earthiness." Aang gave a nervous chuckle in an attempt to calm the rising tension.

The Earth King said nothing, his mouth a thin grim line. Long Feng signalled to the Dai Li and their earth hands shot out to cuff their arms with rock gloves.

Eira's heartrate rose dramatically as she felt the stiff rock binding her hands and she struggled against it in an attempt to get free. She'd had more than enough of their stupid earth hand cuffs!

"Detain the assailants!" Long Feng ordered, smiling sinisterly.

Eira stepped back, still struggling. If she couldn't get free she was going to run for it any second. _How did they convince him in the show? How did they?_

"But we dropped our weapons," Sokka said in disbelief. "We're your allies."

"He's the Avatar!" Eira said, locking on to her memory of the show and attempting to point at Aang with both of her hands behind her back.

"The Avatar?" The Earth King pointed at Sokka, eyes wide again with curiosity and surprise. "You're the Avatar?"

Sokka looked a bit taken off guard. "Uh, no. Him." He nudged his head towards Aang who effortlessly broke free of his cuffs to give a small wave before re-attaching them. Eira wished she could do it that easily. It would save her a lot of trouble.

"Over here."

Long Feng scowled before turning to the king.

"What does it matter, Your Highness? They're enemies of the state."

The King sat back in his throne. "Perhaps you're right." Bosco lumbered over to Aang, twinned curiosity with the king, and sniffed him before licking him. Aang smiled at the animal's attention and the king laughed good-heartedly. "Though Bosco seems to like him. I'll hear what he has to say."

Eira sighed in relief, ignoring the glare Long Feng was sending their way.

"Your Highness," Aang started. "There's a war going on right now. It's been going on for the past hundred years in fact. The Dai Li's kept it secret from you. It's all a conspiracy to control the city, and to control you."

"A secret war? That's crazy!" the king said, looking at Aang as if he were insane.

"Completely," Long Feng agreed.

"Long Feng didn't want us to tell you," Aang said accusingly. "He kidnapped our friend and brainwashed her. He forced her to attack us and tried to kill us."

"All lies. Just a fantastical story to trick you into joining them," Long Feng said quietly to the king.

"Your claim is difficult to believe. Even from an Avatar."

"But we have more proof," Eira said. "If you would ask any of the people now moving into your city they would tell you about the war. Why do you think so many new people are living in the Lower Ring? Why do you think you haven't seen any of the other Earth Kingdom leaders? General Fong, Bumi, or any of the others?"

"I have my advisor to inform me of any issues like those," the Earth King said. "And I haven't had any news about a rush of people entering Ba Sing Se."

"But we can show you then. Omashu was taken over by the Fire Nation as well as all of the other strongholds and cities. An attempt was made on Ba Sing Se not a week ago."

"As a king you should at least try and see if this is true," Sokka added. "It is the Avatar with us. He was at your party."

Sokka looked pointedly at Aang and he got it. Aang span the earth around in his hand and jumped on a small ball of air to showcase his bending.

The king looked like he was buying it.

"Did I mention we have an air bison?" Eira said and the king's curiosity won out.

o.O.o

"This is… This is… exhilarating! Exhilarating, and terrifying!" The king was like a little child as he sat on Appa's saddle and they began to fly across Ba Sing Se. He looked all around the skyline and the small dotted buildings below them.

"Yeah," Toph said unenthusiastically. "I hate it too." Flying still was never going to be her favourite.

"I never knew Ba Sing Se was so big."

"Really?" Katara asked. "Have you never been outside the Upper Ring before?"

"I've never been outside the palace," he admitted. "This is certainly the way to travel though. So, may I ask where exactly we're going?"

"We're going to the Outer Wall, Your Highness," Eira said quietly. "It's where the Fire Nation made its attempt to invade your city. Its second attempt since the war began."

He looked deeply troubled about it all. Eira couldn't blame him. She kind of understood how he felt. To be told something awful happened with no knowledge of it happening. It's like with Jet.

They couldn't have just killed him. He was probably back out in Ba Sing Se again.

It didn't take long for them to get to the Outer Wall, and it took less time to find the site of the drill.

A massive dark steel machine with a bright red insignia of the Fire Nation on it wasn't too difficult to see. The king's face fell in horror as he noticed it. The excitement of flying melted into dread. Appa landed on the wall and he got off the saddle, staring at it.

"I hoped it wasn't true."

"I wish it wasn't," Aang said glumly.

"What is it?"

"It's a drill made by the Fire Nation to get through these walls," Sokka explained. "They were going to use it to invade, like they did to other cites, and claim the Earth Kingdom as their own."

"I can't believe I never knew." He looked to his right as he heard people approaching. Long Feng had arrived, accompanied by two Dai Li agents.

"I can explain this, Your Majesty," he said quickly, maintaining his level tone. "This is nothing more than… a construction project."

"Really?" Katara said sarcastically. "Can you then explain the Fire Nation insignia on your 'construction project'?"

The king looked suspiciously at Long Feng.

"Well it's imported of course. You know you can't trust domestic machinery," he explained desperately. "You surely don't believe these children instead of your most loyal attendant?"

The Earth King looked between them and Long Feng. His eyes steeled with determination.

"Dai Li! Arrest Long Feng! I want him to stand trial for crimes against the Earth Kingdom."

Long Feng looked shocked at the accusation and order to _his_ Dai Li. Eira eyed the two agents suspiciously as they glanced at each other before cuffing Long Feng and taking him away.

"You can't arrest me!" he protested. "You all need me more than you know!"

_And '_I would've gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids?_' then?_ Eira thought, taking pleasure from seeing him leave but it disappeared quickly. He still had the Dai Li.

Sokka, on the other hand, didn't know that so he jeered happily.

"Looks like Long Feng is _long_ gone! Ha!" He wiped a non-existent tear from his eye. "Ah, I've been saving that one."

"I can tell," Eira deadpanned.

It was a quiet fly back to the palace. The earthbenders had managed to fix all of the battle damage they'd done to the place which made Katara and Aang a lot less guilty about the whole ordeal. Being able to fix things quickly was the bright side of earthbending. Too bad the down side was that they could destroy things just as easily.

"I want to thank you, young heroes, for opening my eyes," the Earth King said (apparently his name was Kuei). "All this time, what I thought was a great metropolis was merely a city of fools. And that makes me the king fool." He buried his face in one of his hands. What was going on was finally catching up with him. "We're at war. With the Fire Nation," he said hopelessly.

"That's why we came to Ba Sing Se, Your Highness," Sokka said, happy at finally being allowed to tell the King about the plan. "Because we think you can help us end the war."

Momo jumped off Aang's shoulder and climbed up King Kuei's arm.

"We don't have much time. There's a comet coming this summer. Its energy will give all firebenders unbelievable strength. They'll be unstoppable," Aang said.

"But there's hope. Before it comes, we have a window of opportunity. A solar eclipse is coming and the firebenders will be helpless."

"What are you suggesting, Sokka?" The king asked.

"That we launch an invasion of the Fire Nation on that day," Sokka explained. "On the Day of Black Sun."

"I don't know," the king said, leaning back on his throne. "That would require moving troops out of Ba Sing Se. We'd be completely vulnerable," he said, fear rising in his voice.

"You still have you're walls," Eira reassured him. "They have stood strong for a hundred years and more. In the time it takes to reach the Fire Nation they won't have made another drill. It'd be too little time for them. If you do this then you will be able to take a decisive move in this war. You'll make up for the earlier years of the war if you can end it."

He paused, deep in thought as they waited anxiously.

"Very well. You have my support," he announced.

They cheered at his decision as the door opened and a high-ranking man entered the room.

"Your Majesty," he said, walking until he was level with them and bowed to the king. "I apologise for the interruption."

King Kuei gestured to him. "This is General How. He's the leader of the Council of Five, my highest ranking generals."

"We've searched Long Feng's office as you instructed. I think we found something that will interest everybody."

Everyone looked at each other. Eira had told the Earth King about Long Feng's office. She'd told him that he'd been keeping secret documents there that he would need to find.

They all gathered around in the office, Eira quickly opening the curtains and window to let in fresh air and light. His office reminded her too much of Lake Laogai with it all closed off.

"There are secret files on everyone in Ba Sing Se. Including you kids," General How explained. He took a scroll from inside a dark box and read out the side, "Toph Beifong." He handed it to Toph, who passed it to Katara.

Katara opened the scroll and read it, her eyes moving quickly across the page.

"It's a letter from your mum," she explained. "She's here in the city. And she wants to see you."

Toph's eyes widened in shock but she quickly regained control of her expression.

"Long Feng intercepted our letters from home?" She shook her head in mock-pity. "That's just sad."

_At least he couldn't intercept anything for me_, Eira thought sadly.

Downsides and upsides all around her journey and not being able to contact her family was a downside. She wondered about the time. If they matched up it would be spring back home. Almost summer. About half a year of her being disappeared. How were they managing? Were they looking for her back home? Did they think she ran away?

The king took out another scroll and read the side before handing it to Aang.

"Aang?" Eira said in shock. He still had the letter? But Appa never met with the guru.

"This scroll was sent via a messenger. Apparently someone had informed him of the Avatar's location.

"It's from the Eastern Air Temple," Aang said as he opened the scroll.

"Is there anything for me and Sokka by any chance?" Katara asked hopefully.

"Not directly, but there is an intelligence report that might interest you," General How said. He took yet another scroll from the box and handing it to Katara.

"A small fleet of Water Tribe ships," Katara read out and she and Sokka looked at it in shock.

"What? It could be Dad!" Sokka said, reading from Katara's side.

"Protecting the mouth of Chameleon Bay. Led by Hadoka, it _is_ Dad!" Katara said, the excitement rising and rising.

Aang had just finished his letter as he looked up from the scroll.

"I can't believe it. There's a man living at the Eastern Air Temple. He apparently ran into a group of Kyoshi warriors and he want to help me take the next step in the Avatar journey. He says he can teach me to control the Avatar State."

Eira frowned. "I thought we came up with this with General Fong's plan. You haven't finished the first step yet: master all four elements."

"But he says he's a spiritual guru. He says with his help I'll be able to be completely aware of what I'm doing and it'd be just before the invasion too."

"I can't believe that we know where our dad is now," Katara said. "It's almost unreal."

"I know what you mean. My mum's in the city. And it sounds like she wants to actually understand me," Toph said.

"This is all such big news!" Sokka said. "Where do we even start?"

Katara looked around at all of them and the letters they were holding. "I hate to say it, but we have to split up."

"Split up?" Aang said worriedly. "We just got Eira back and we're all together. Now you want us to separate?"

"You should meet this guru. Aang, if we're going to invade the Fire Nation we'll need you to be ready."

He looked thoughtfully. "I guess if I'm going to the Eastern Air Temple I can drop you off to see your dad."

"But what about the plan?" Sokka asked.

"I'm staying here anyway," Eira volunteered. Her voice felt monotonous. She wanted to be happy for them, and she was, but she was worried about Aang going to the guru and looking at Katara, Sokka, and Toph looking so excited to see their parents she felt… jealous? Even if Toph wasn't going to actually find her mother there, she still had an opportunity to see her. "I don't have anyone else to distract me in this world and I have nowhere to go. I'll stay and talk out the plan with the Earth King. You should all go. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure, Eira?" Katara asked, concerned. "I mean, you were just-"

"I'll be fine, Katara." Eira smiled to try and reassure them. "I promise you that I won't do anything stupid again. I didn't see anything happening during this time that I'll try and sneak off to fix like last time. All that would've happened is that one of you would take my place and miss out. This is for the better."

"Thanks, Eira," Aang said happily. "Come on guys, I'll give you a ride to Chameleon Bay."

They all gathered outside the palace where Appa had been being taken care of by some servants.

Aang, Katara, and Sokka had gathered their things and packed it all onto Appa's saddle.

Katara patted Appa's muzzle and it looked like Aang was going to say something to her but he was interrupted by Sokka gleefully swinging his arm onto his shoulder.

"Whoo! Time to go! Next stop Chameleon Bay!"

Katara and Aang both looked annoyed at Sokka, though for different reasons, and they all climbed up on Appa for the journey.

"Aang, Sokka, and Katara," King Kuei said respectfully. "I wish you a good journey. Ba Sing Se owes its thanks to you. We look forward to your safe return."

Aang, Katara, and Sokka bowed as well as they could while sitting but before they left a soldier arrived.

"Your Majesty," he said. "There are three female warriors to see you. They're from the island of Kyoshi."

"That's Suki!" Sokka sad with such excitement he fell off Appa.

"You know these warriors?"

"I'm not sure if we know them specifically, but we know the Kyoshi Warriors," Eira said, getting quieter. Azula. She couldn't let her get away with infiltrating and finding out about the plan. But… Suki said that she'd be back. And they wouldn't fight Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee because they weren't following Appa. Could it be Suki?

_I guess I'll come to that bridge when I cross it, _Eira thought. If it was Suki, great. If it wasn't she'd find a way to deal with it.

"They're a skilled group of warriors. They're our friends," Sokka added.

King Kuei smiled. "Then we shall treat them as honoured guests."

"Bye then," Eira said, waving to Sokka, Aang, and Katara.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys," Toph said.

"Don't worry. We'll catch up when you all come back. Not sure much will change though," Eira said.

Appa took off and Eira waved Toph goodbye.

"Um, Your Highness?" Eira said as she walked briskly to the king, who was already making his way inside. "About the Kyoshi Warriors, I'd think it'd be best to check out who they are before anything else."

"Why? I thought you knew them."

"We do, just not all of them individually. The one we know is called Suki. She has reddish-hair and brown eyes and will be the leader. If… if you don't see her. I think you should arrest them."

King Kuei stopped in shock.

"Who would they be if not these warriors?"

"Imposters," Eira said. "But they might not be!" she added quickly. "It's just the girl who led the drill was around her age and would disguise herself as them if she had the opportunity."

The king considered this as the guards next to the door opened them for him.

"I'll think about it." His eyes looked darker in the lighting. "I'm tired of imposters and tricks."

He walked through the door and it closed behind him.

Eira stood there for a couple minutes, unsure of what to do. Best bet would be to return to their given house in the Upper Ring. She doubted the talk with the other generals would happen that evening. They'd need time to arrive, prepare, and sort things out without Long Feng.

Eira walked back out of the palace and couldn't help but remember the last time she walked through the Upper Ring. Every step felt like the ground was going to open up again and it go the point of discomfort where Eira simply decided to glide all the way back.

She landed on the roof of the house and let herself in.

It did feel lonely as she went to sleep. She was already used to Toph and Sokka snoring at night. The quiet felt… wrong.

She needed to look through the files they discovered in Long Feng's office. They might have the actual information about Jet. She couldn't believe he was dead. She refused to believe that they would've killed it. If they did it would've been her fault.

She wasn't proud of how she had acted. She'd managed to get everyone into trouble. Eira didn't want to cause her friends more grief.

At least she could be honest now. No more hiding.

She fell to sleep remarkably quickly so it was a bit of a shame when the door started knocking in about half an hour.

Immensely groggy from her incomplete nap, Eira opened the door to see a typical messenger she had been seen around the palace.

"The Earth King requests that you join him at the palace."

"Why?" Eira asked, her mind slow.

"All he said was 'You were right'."

Eira's eyes snapped open in realisation and she grabbed her glider from next to the door.

"I'll be there." Eira jumped into night sky and glided to the palace. There was a nervous energy in everyone she saw there and as she entered the throne room she saw King Kuei pacing around in front of his throne.

"Eira, when the Kyoshi Warriors arrived I didn't see the person you described," he explained. Eira's heart sank. Of course he didn't.

"I asked for them to be taken away and my guards _did_ manage to arrest them but it's worse than I feared. All three are from the Fire Nation and one is a firebender. The _Fire Nation_ is in my city."

Eira looked down at her feet.

"If it's who I think they are it's either one of the best, or worse possible situation we have," Eira said. The Earth King and his guards lead her off into one of the emergency prisons they had in the palace and it was confirmed.

Sitting in three separate cells were Ty Lee, Azula, and Mai. All wearing Kyoshi Warrior uniforms but their makeup was smeared, probably in the struggle. Ty Lee was sitting in the front corner of her cell, next to the bars and occasionally punching them. She looked kind of simple. It was like she couldn't believe they were all captured and wanted someone to tell her how to deal with it.

Mai was sitting against a wall, her face indifferent and not showing much of anything other than boredom. Azula was terrifying and Eira hated whenever she had to be anywhere near Azula in any situation.

She was glad she took the Mai/Ty Lee side in Omashu, and when they chased them she was happy she didn't have any one-on-one combat with her but still. Her burn was healed unlike the others thanks to Katara but the memory of the pain wasn't fun. Then, back on the drill, she'd almost been flung off in seconds.

Being near Azula reminded Eira of the dangers of this world and how hopelessly outmatched she was.

At the moment, she was looking calm. She sat cross-legged in the centre of her cell with her hands clearly bound behind her. She could probably still firebend with her feet and with her breath and the fact that she probably hadn't meant that she was planning and waiting for the moment.

In the heart of Ba Sing Se she probably didn't have a chance of escaping on her own so she was going to recruit help. Despite the calm her orange eyes were like pinpricks. She was definitely angry. And now, it was probably directed towards her.

"It's them," Eira said quietly. "_Princess_ Azula of the Fire Nation, and the other two are children of noble families."

"The _princess_ of the Fire Nation is in my city?" Eira felt even sorrier for the King. Less than a day ago he lived in quiet blissful ignorance and now everything was happening and he could finally see it.

Eira stared at Azula, at the fury in her eyes. Azula was in prison. She didn't successfully infiltrate Ba Sing Se.

Eira had made another change. This time it wasn't something that just changed an arc, a fraction of the story. It was going to change a lot. And Eira was scared to find out how much.

* * *

**Hah, Azula is going to kill Eira after this. Fun for her.**

**This is the biggest change I've made to this series yet and I can't wait to see how this escalates.**

**Please review if you liked it :D**


	17. Chapter 17- Everything is Okay

**Because Eira really doesn't have much to do on her own and I don't want to cut to what the others are doing due to it being almost exactly the same, I've combined the last two episodes into one chapter.**

**Also known as my last chapter in this book.  
Because of how often I post these, can you please comment whether or not you want me to continue with this series? I'm getting a bit unsure.**

**Either way, please enjoy the chapter. Thank you to those who left comments and followed/favourited.**

* * *

Chapter 17- Everything is Okay

* * *

Back up in the throne room were a hastily gathered collection of generals. Not all of the five were there but there were some other advisors as well. And Eira. She had never quite felt more out of place than right there as the smallest by far, the only female, and with her lighter hair. She stood out like a sore thumb.

The king was sat on his throne and stared at the line of people in front of him.

"I'm sure you're all aware that the Fire Nation has made its third attempt at getting into my city. And this time, they managed it. The princess of the Fire Nation and two others, disguised as trustworthy warriors, were allowed into _this_ throne room." He gestured at the grandeur of the room. Gold embellishments all over.

He rested a hand on Bosco's head. "But we managed to stop them. We have them arrested and in cells in the palace. The next step will be crucial. We can't stand idle."

General How stood up straighter next to Eira.

"Your Majesty, I believe that we have been presented with an extraordinary opportunity. We could use the princess to negotiate some sort of surrender or removal of the Fire Nation from the Earth Kingdom. The Fire Lord will likely not want to see his daughter in harm," he said.

"We could use this to distract the Fire Nation just before we start our invasion plan," another general added. "They would be too busy focussing on the princess to have any preparation for the invasion."

"Or this would raise their defences. Or lead them to mount a rescue mission." The general furthest away from Eira noted. He wore quite rich clothing and his greying hair was long. "In an exchange, they could attack us, take the princess back, and bring down the Earth Kingdom entirely."

They debated loudly about all of the pros and cons of a negotiation and Eira felt dumbstruck. It still hadn't caught up with her what she had done.

Azula, who would find out about the invasion plan and cause it to fail, didn't. Because of Eira, she was arrested. It was unbelievable. But like with most things Eira did, she had no idea what to do next. Logically, it would be best to use her as a bargaining chip to keep the Fire Nation at bay while they plan the invasion. But that was a best case scenario. In reality, despite everything, the Fire Lord would prefer to give up Azula before losing any land or soldier in the war. True, Azula was his heir and as ruthless and power hungry as he would need but the Fire Lord clearly didn't care about his family. Not enough for this to work.

"Your Majesty, the Fire Lord is ruthless. I don't think he would stop his attacking just because we have his daughter," Eira said sadly. "But, I still think it would be best to inform the Fire Nation we have their princess. It would cause chaos in the public and the Fire Lord. People would see it as the Fire nation being weaker and it would leave them with no choice but to try and get her back."

The generals burst out in outcry. "But then they would attack us!"

"They're already trying," Eira reminded them. "And it could take troops away from the main island of the Fire Nation, leaving them more open for the invasion."

The king looked thoughtful as he considered everyone's opinions. Bosco raised his head to stare him from beside his throne.

"We will send a message to the Fire Nation, informing them of their princess' capture. We will wait for a response and decide what to do next based on what they do. If they attack, we prepare our defences. If they want negotiation, we send diplomats and prepare the invasion plan depending on those," he said. "In the meantime, I want increased guards in the prison. We need to keep them here while we prepare."

The generals and advisors bowed and Eira followed their example, if a bit slowly. She never knew when to do the whole 'bowing' and 'respectful gesture' thing.

"You are dismissed."

With that everyone left but this time when Eira went back to the house, she didn't go to sleep. She wished she had someone to talk to about this. When will Toph get back from creating metalbending? Or Katara and Sokka from seeing their dad? Aang would… Eira didn't know whether or not Aang _would_ come back. She didn't know what was going to happen with him if he let go of all of his attachments. It just wouldn't be Aang.

The invasion plan would be decided on the next day. She would try and help out when possible but… Gah! Everything was so confusing and she was alone so she couldn't even talk with anyone!

o.O.o

"General Fong's base will serve as the launching point for the attack," General How instructed as with his earthbending he moved the pieces around the map. "In exactly two months, the army and navy will invade the Fire Nation on the Day of Black Sun."

"And what about the Northern Water Tribe?" Eira asked. "Are you sure we couldn't get any reinforcements from there?"

General How scratched his beard. "Two months should be enough to call in some help, but I heard that their navy was in some state of disrepair. The chief wasn't sure if he could send much help since we contacted him last, especially considering a large portion of his boats are being used to commute between the Northern and Southern Water Tribes so they can help revive the South."

"Ah, okay," Eira said, disappointed. Having more ships would help. Especially considering the Fire Nation had a far more advanced navy and army.

"All we need is the Earth King's seal in order to execute the plan," he explained, sending the scroll the secretary had been writing across the table to Eira.

"I'll get this to the Earth King right away. Thank you, General How," Eira said respectfully. She didn't bow and for a second she was worried that she was supposed to, but hopefully everyone would understand how clearly foreign she was. With that, she left the war room.

Eira walked through the palace, the scroll held tight in her hand. Every time she thought about her situation it felt more surreal.

The king and some of his advisors were sending a letter to the Fire Nation because they had Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai in prison. Because of what Eira did. Eira was almost feeling giddy. It was just so insane. The last time she had felt like this was when she first got sent to the Southern Water Tribe. Except that was clearly a lot more disorienting and negative.

Eira walked over to the throne room with light steps, spending as little time as she could connecting with the ground. Noting it, she swore some sort of vengeance on the Dai Li. Long Feng being arrested wasn't enough. She needed to try and convince the king to disband it all together. It was just too corrupt, and evil, and powerful, and pointless!

Sighing, Eira shook her head. She knew that was an impossible dream. Avatar Kyoshi herself founded it and even after what happened the king felt like they were protecting him.

Eira knocked on the large door which they'd just put back up. Eira smiled. She could still see the cracks in the door frame where Toph blew it down.

The door opened slowly as the guards either side of it pulled both of the sides and Eira couldn't help but smile a bit. The size of the doors and how they were opening for her made her feel as if she was in a film or something.

_You _are_ in a TV show,_ she reminded herself.

Eira walked in and looked to the throne in front of her. The king wasn't there.

"Uh, where is the Earth King?" Eira asked.

"He's in the side room over there," the guard answered, pointing to a door on the right of the throne. "He's consulting his advisors. What is your business with the Earth King?"

Eira raised the scroll awkwardly.

"I've got the battle plans for the invasion. It needs the Earth King's seal," Eira explained. The guard nodded.

"Very well."

Taking that as approval, Eira walked hastily to the side door and knocked on it. It opened swiftly and Eira found herself facing a dark room with a centre table. The Earth King and about five other men surrounded it and were talking at a rapid pace.

"Um, excuse me?" she said, knocking on the side of the door. "I have the invasion plans from the Council of Five and they need the Earth King's seal."

"Of course," the Earth King said happily. Eira passed the scroll across the table and waited as her read through it. Luckily, it wasn't a long scroll or it would be awkward, especially with the staring of his advisers. Eira still wasn't getting used to the stares that almost everyone in the city gave her.

Eira stood in the doorway as the scroll passed through the advisers' hands and each one read it before it was passed back to the Earth King and he signed it.

"That should be fine," he said. "And with this letter," he added, holding up the scroll they'd been writing, "we have all we need. The Fire Nation will fall by the end of the eclipse and the war will be over."

They gave a cheer and Eira smiled. She was actually getting hopeful.

"So, what have you decided on?" Eira asked.

"I'm glad you asked," an adviser spoke up. He was quite elderly, with long grey hair in a half-bun style. He wore very extravagant gold and green robes and a suitably smug-ish look on his face. "We've agreed to send out a collection of identical letters addressed to the Fire Nation public. This should turn their people into enough of a panic to alert the Fire Lord into action. He will try and negotiate the princess' return as well as the other two and we'll use that to force the Fire Nation out of the Earth Kingdom. This will weaken the morale of the Fire Nation, just in time for the invasion plan."

"Sounds good," Eira said. _Almost too good. There's no way it'll turn out that perfect._ "Thank you."

Eira left the room, again not sure about the proper formalities, and as she left the room, she found herself staring at the other door near the throne.

Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai. She wondered how Azula would react to the news that her failure to invade Ba Sing Se would be sent back to the Fire Nation as well as using it as a way to weaken them. Knowing her reaction to failure and humiliation, it probably wouldn't turn out very well. And it worried her. Azula's mental health wasn't in a good state, especially by the end of the show, but she was only 14. A year younger than her. Eira hoped the information would never reach her, for everyone's sake.

o.O.o

The rest of the day was boring, to say the least. Eira didn't want to go out into Ba Sing Se, and she didn't want to stay in the empty house with nothing to do. At home, she had no problem with staying in her room, but then she had a laptop, or her phone, or a couple of good books. Here she had nothing and boredom wasn't kind to her mind after what she had been through. Her paranoia was through the roof.

This left her only with the option of going out. Hopefully, Ba Sing Se was a bit kinder at night.

The city, as lovely and rich as usual, was bustling with people. It was some sort of market day, where some merchants from the Middle Ring were allowed to go up to the Upper Ring to sell. A lot took the opportunity to try and impress the people enough they could get moved up.

Eira bought herself some more of the dye Katara found to dye her hair. If things didn't change she'd probably need to dye it again for when they went to the Fire Nation. This along with some food allowed her to visit quite a few shops. She felt ten times better buying things from the shops than the actual shops in the Upper Ring. She didn't feel like she was contributing to the problem as much.

She went back to the palace as well, to keep check on the progress and it was going smoothly.

The letter had been replicated and sent by bird s to the Fire Nation. It was the fastest way they could get a message across so it would only take a day for a response. Then they'd see how the Fire Nation would react.

Everything was working according to plan, which only meant one thing. Something had to go wrong.

Eira walked down to the cells where Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai were being held, just to check if they'd heard anything, but then she heard their voices.

"Your brother and uncle have been moved to the Upper Ring. The Earth King hasn't released any information to the public so it appears that they know nothing of your situation," a male voice informed calmly.

"So, Zuzu and my doddering uncle are in the Upper Ring. How _good_ for them," Azula's voice responded. It sounded surprisingly shaky, especially when she stressed the word "good". It wasn't a nervous, or sentimental voice, it was angry. Eira had never heard her voice like that. It was like she was trying to keep her composure but allowing the anger to show anyway. That wasn't a good sign at all. "And what about the Avatar? Is he back yet?"

"No," the man responded. Eira guessed he was from the Dai Li. It was always the Dai Li. No one else would be able to get the information to prisoners. "Only the airbender is still in the city."

"Yes. Her," she said, clipping her words. Eira stepped back up the stairs, holding a hand to her mouth so she wouldn't make a sound, giving away her position. Azula terrified her. She was so unstably powerful and she knew it. Even when having a mental breakdown, she could produce lightning. Eira didn't even compare to her. Eira knew if they were in a one-on-one fight Azula would trample her and as she was the reason she was in this situation and her plan failed, Eira couldn't help but picture the charred person she'd be afterwards.

_I need to tell the Earth King,_ Eira thought. _He needs to get rid of the Dai Li immediately._ Eira took another careful step back, but as her foot touched the stone step a sharp sound echoed through the room and the voices stopped.

_I need to get out!_ Eira thought in a panic, turning and running. The feeling of dread was all too familiar. Eira sprinted up the stairs but her foot slipped as the stairs suddenly sloped, sending her flying back down to see Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai all out of their cells along with three Dai Li agents.

"This is my lucky day," Azula said, smiling evilly. "Let's get rid of a few loose ends, shall we?" Eira felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck before everything went black.

o.O.o

Eira woke up groggily with her neck aching with no idea where she was. It felt unfair. Again!?

Looking around, she was underground, in a cavern with glowing crystals jutting out of the walls and the floor. Everything was dark, but thankfully the crystals shone like in the labyrinth so it wasn't as bad as it could've been. The floors and walls of the cavern were all uneven and rough, and from the look of it, there was no way out.

Eira jumped up and cursed. Her eyes were wide in fear as she looked desperately for anything she could leave out of but there was nothing but rocks, crystals, and dark tunnels that she was _never_ going to even try.

"No, no, no, no, no!" she shouted angrily. Not again! Not again! Why did she always end up like this!? Taking the place of anyone whenever they were captured!

It was stupid. Why was she so stupid! She couldn't leave anything or anyone alone, could she?!

Nothing could change either. Jet still died, and Azula still got into Ba Sing Se.

If Eira ever got out she would force the Earth King to disband the Dai Li with any force necessary.

Eira punched air at the rocky walls in frustration. Nothing happened. Eira punched and kicked and airbent at the wall with all of her strength but nothing did anything. Why did she even get airbending? What she would give to have been an earthbender. It was so much more useful when it came to anything.

They could build things, take them down, move fast on land, and throw rocks. Offensively, airbending only worked on humans and that wasn't something Eira liked the idea of, especially considering how she apparently attacked Katara, Toph, and Sokka.

It was just so- GAH!

Eira kicked at the rock again, making physical contact with her foot and she shouted in pain, clutching it.

Right, so she needed to calm down. But she was underground. Again. That wasn't making it easy.

Eira sat down grumpily on the cavern floor and rested her head of her fist, focusing on her breathing so it would slow down from its rapid pace.

Taking deep breaths, she centered herself and drifted off into meditation, like some of her training sessions with Aang.

While Aang was supposed to be the student, learning his waterbending and earthbending from Katara and Toph, he was also a very good teacher. He took teaching from many different angles, so if something didn't work he moved onto a different tactic. If it wasn't for Eira's stubborn refusal to take it too seriously she might even become a master by the end of her journey.

Her mind wandering off towards Aang she went back to worrying. She wanted to know what would happen if he did _let go_.

Eira closed her eyes, thinking, and she started to see purple lights shining around in her non-vision. It was glittery and very beautiful, like pictures of the universe you'd see, but it was burry and not in any sort of focus. She could almost see a path of white, like the Milky Way, and she felt almost extraordinarily light and dizzy. Maybe the air in the cavern was getting a little thin.

_Let them go…_

A dot of blue light shone on the path and Eira strained to focus on it. This felt very familiar.

"_But, what about Katara?"_

"Aang?"

"_Eira?"_

Everything went into focus, suddenly zooming in on the dot of blue light and Aang's face filled her vision with intense clarity, giving Eira a splitting headache.

"Gah," she gasped.

"_Eira! Are you okay?"_

"I'm-!"

The headache expanded like an explosion in her brain and Eira snapped open her eyes, breathing heavily and a bead of sweat rolled down her forehead. It was like she was just wrapped in a lead straightjacket. The lightness had completely left.

"Was that-" Eira began, blinking rapidly. "Did I just spirit travel?"

It was ridiculous. Impossible, but… she was an airbender. Aang's lessons often focused on spirituality.

It opened up a lot of questions. Maybe it meant that she could-

"You've got company." It was a Dai Li agent. Light spilled into the cavern as a small tunnel on a slope had opened. A body tumbled down but Eira didn't register who it was.

She sped towards the agent and jumped up at the tunnel but it shut before she could make it. She collided hard with the jagged cavern. A large cluster of crystal spikes dug into her clothes and skin as she fell down and she shouted in pain before rolling down where the other body had landed.

"Dammit."

She looked down to her side and saw that it was Zuko. He was wearing Earth Kingdom clothes, his hair was longer, and he looked a lot thinner, but it was him. Just like how he was when Eira met him in the tea shop.

"This is just great," she muttered. Eira knelt by him and tried pulling him up by his arm but he lashed out with fire. Eira rolled away quickly from the flash of heat and stood up, dust coating her clothes.

"What was that for?" she shouted. "I was trying to help you up, idiot."

Zuko glared at her, but his expression died quickly.

"…I'm sorry," he said quietly.

Eira stared at him in silence, brushing off her clothes, before she covered her face with her hands in frustration.

"This is just great," she repeated. "How did you get caught?"

Zuko didn't say anything, he just looked at the ground.

"Was it Azula or the Dai Li?" Eira asked persistently. "Were you with your uncle, or not?" Then she remembered. "Oh no, you didn't even try and rescue Appa so you're probably still hunting Aang, and then you'll go back to the Fire Nation and won't be around to teach him."

"What are you talking about?" Zuko asked, getting to his feet.

"I need to know whether or not you'd choose to be with your uncle, or Azula. I need that to decide whether or not to trust you so we can get out," Eira explained.

He looked a little dumbstruck by the question, Eira didn't really blame him, but at least he didn't look angry.

"I still don't know what you mean," he said.

"Given the choice would you live a good life with your uncle, here, or go back to the Fire Nation with your sister leaving him to be captured?" Eira folded her arms. "I need to know that before anything happens."

"How do you know about my uncle? Or Azula?" he demanded.

"I know a lot of things, especially about people," Eira said cryptically. It was one of the moments where letting them know you knew more than them really worked out. "Now, can you answer the question?"

Zuko looked like he couldn't. Eira tried to analyse his expression. It was obvious he had changed from their first meeting, but she wasn't sure if it was enough.

"I-"he started, fumbling for his words. "I don't know."

Eira's expression softened slightly and she unfolded her arms. She sighed.

"Well, at least you didn't outright go with Azula," she said. "If you did, well, we'd have a problem." Eira looked around at the cavern. There was still no way out, not even where that Dai Li agent had come in from. "Can you tell me how you came down here? I'll tell you my story as well if you do."

"Azula tricked my uncle into the palace," he explained shortly. "My uncle got away but I chased after her."

"You're not as stupid as me, count yourself lucky," Eira reassured him quickly. "I wanted to see if Azula had found out about the demand the Earth King had sent to the Fire Nation so I went to see her cell but I accidently overheard her-"

"Cell?!"

Eira looked at Zuko in shock. Of course he wouldn't know. "Yeah… Azula, Ty Lee, and Mai tried to sneak into Ba Sing Se as Kyoshi Warriors and I told the Earth King. We were going to use them as a way to force the Fire Nation out of the Earth Kingdom. Azula _is_ your sister, and a princess so we thought we could use her."

Zuko looked stunned.

"No wonder she was so angry," he eventually said. "But you… I saw you in the Middle Ring. You knew… You knew about me! How about a Fire Nation prince and princess for your ransom?!"

"Because it's you and your uncle running a tea shop for goodness sake! You were no threat. Your uncle certainly wasn't going to do anything. I could also say the same thing to you. A common assumption would be that where I was, Aang would be. You could've tried something, but you didn't," Eira said. "If you were the same as you were before the Northern Water Tribe siege, I probably would've handed you in. But you're not. I know what you've been through and I know how it can change you."

Zuko touched his face, thinking deeply.

"I can't change. I am marked," he said. "Marked with the destiny to chase the Avatar and this scar is proof. But, I want to be free to change. To choose my own destiny."

"You already are free to choose. No matter the situation, most people have a choice. Sometimes you're thrown into situations you don't want to be in, but you choose what to do with it. For example, I got thrown into the South Pole and I decided to help Aang on his journey," Eira said.

Zuko looked worried, hand still on his face.

Eira stared, thinking.

"You could get it healed," she commented. "Katara's a pretty good healer. She helped me after Azula got me last time."

"Scars don't heal."

Eira placed a hand on her forearm. Yeah, he was right. Katara couldn't get rid of the scars Zuko and Zhao gave her. Zuko's only option would be…

"She has some spirit water," Eira offered. "If you really want to get rid of it and turn over a new leaf, I'm sure we could help you. In fact…" Eira paused. "Aang will need to learn firebending, and for obvious reasons we can't find one easily. If you want, you could-"

Eira stopped as she heard the tunnelling noise and she held out her hands in an offensive pose in the direction of the sound. The cavern wall opened up and she was prepared to strike, but she dropped it as she saw who it was.

"Aang? Iroh? Katara?!" she said in shock. How could they be there so quickly? But there they were, the three of them standing in the opening of a tunnel. Iroh was wearing Upper Ring robes and looked maybe a bit slimmer but overall the same as the few times she'd seen him.

Iroh gave his nephew a big hug but Zuko glared at him. Katara and Aang looked suspicious of Zuko but ran over to hug Eira.

"Uncle, what are you doing here with the Avatar?"

"Saving you, that's what," Aang answered, annoyed at his lack of gratitude. Zuko took a step towards him but Iroh held out his arm to block him.

"Zuko, it's time we talked," he said softly.

"Hold on," Eira said quickly. "How did you get here so fast? It's only been about five minutes. Did that spirit communication thing work or was that just my imagination?"

Aang scratched his head. "I did see you, and it kind of linked me to what happened, but that was hours ago."

"It took a while for all of us to get back," Katara added.

_Then the spirit thing must've taken longer than I first thought,_ Eira thought. It did sort of make sense that her perception of time to be messed up during the communication if it gave her a headache that big.

"Anyway, thanks for coming. I knew the king shouldn't have trusted the Dai Li. There was a reason Long Feng was using them in the first place," Eira said.

"Now you should go back and help your friends," Iroh instructed before turning back to Zuko. "We'll catch up with you."

Zuko looked confused as he faced his uncle.

"Why, Uncle?"

Iroh looked at him seriously. "You're not the man you used to be, Zuko. You are stronger and wiser and freer than you have ever been. And now you have come to the crossroads of your destiny. It's time for you to choose. It's time for you to choose good."

Zuko turned towards Eira and they made eye contact before the crystals at Iroh's feet erupted upwards, trapping him.

Zuko yelled and took on an offensive stance. Eira scanned the area and saw Azula with two Dai Li agents. Eira felt a spike of fear and Aang and Katara quickly dragged her off, avoiding Azula's attention and heading further into the catacombs.

Their sneaking turned into a sprint as they got closer and closer.

"We need to find Sokka and Toph," Katara said as they ran.

"Aang, watch out!" Eira said quickly as a flash of blue lit up in the corner of her eye.

He raised an earth wall quickly and it exploded into dust from the impact. Eira waved her hand and the dust flew over to Azula. It was her intention to make it harder for her to aim but the dust lit up a brilliant blue as the lightning passed through it.

Katara threw her water into the air before them and it vaporised, absorbing the lightning. Azula jumped out of the mist, two shots of blue fire streaming out of her hands. Katara and Aang waterbent at the fire and Eira airbent at Azula's legs, trying to make her lose balance. Azula leapt off the crystal before she did and moved to a rock pillar, trying to maintain the high ground.

Aang threw his hands sideways and the pillar slid in the same direction, crumbling as it did. Azula gasped and landed cleanly on her feet between the three of them. She raised her hands in preparation but a shot of orange fire interrupted her.

Zuko ran up in an offensive stance and Eira felt relieved. Four on one wasn't good odds even for Azula.

Zuko aimed carefully but then Azula smiled.

"Aang!" Eira sent a gale of air towards Zuko as he aimed the fire blast at Aang. It dissipated in the wind and Eira scowled.

Azula and Katara were caught up in an intense duel, water and ice against fire and lightning but Eira couldn't keep an eye on it.

She and Aang fought off Zuko's flurry of fire blasts with their airbending, jumping away to avoid them. How DARE he?! Attacking Aang even after everything she said! She was starting to sympathise with Katara's hatred of him in season 3.

Aang sent a large gust at him, knocking him down and Eira stood firmly, lowering her hands. The air pressure rose around him, keeping him down, before she kicked air at him. Zuko flew backwards.

He rolled but quickly got to his feet. He darted at Aang, who was standing near the rock pillar and sent more and more fire at him. He jumped over Eira's attacks and Aang jumped towards a cluster of crystals to avoid them.

Zuko roared, furious, and summoned a greater blast of fire towards Aang. Aang threw his hands up and the crystals rose up to protect him but they shattered with the force. Aang flew into another cluster and gasped with the impact.

"Zuko!" Eira shouted, trying to attack him but he was dodging everything, focused on Aang. He summoned large whips of fire and Aang was almost climbing the ceiling to avoid them.

Eira spread her arms out, making the air thin, and Zuko staggered, dizzy, but kicked fire at her.

Eira jumped out of the way, towards Katara, who has caught Azula's leg with her water tentacle trick but the water evaporated with one of Zuko's fire blasts.

Eira sent him a nasty look. "I thought you wanted to change."

"I have changed," Zuko answered, shooting another blast at her. Katara parried with a water whip to stop him from advancing.

Eira breathed heavily. Nothing she did ever did something good!

Katara and Eira went on the offensive, forcing Zuko to run to avoid their attacks. Katara after whips at him and her ducked right into Eira's airbending. He fell back but Azula jumped over him, sending a wave of blue fire towards them.

Eira grabbed Katara's arm and with her airbending, they both jumped up, avoiding it. Katara slashed at Azula and Zuko as Eira buffeted them with air.

Azula's hands sparked with energy as she summoned lightning. It shot out at Katara and she screamed, as it hit the water near her hands, electrocuting her.

"Katara!"

She didn't faint and it didn't look like she was hurt too bad but she was still dazed.

Azula rushed over to Eira and jabbed at her with fire. Eira ducked and dodged but Azula was too fast. She struck Eira with fire and it grazed her arm, burning through her clothes.

"Ah!" Eira jumped back, clutching her arm.

Azula smiled sinisterly and Eira felt her entire body go cold. There was an insane look in Azula's eyes and Eira knew too well that insanity didn't look too good on Azula.

Aang noticed them and surfed down towards them, riding a slide of earth. He prepared an attack but the earth beneath him disappeared quickly and Eira remembered about the Dai Li agents.

Aang was knocked down and he tumbled down onto the rocky floor. Katara turned to look, looking worried and tired. All of them had injuries, Eira and Katara's hair had been knocked out of their styles and were hanging down in front of their faces. Their clothes were burnt and torn at the ends.

It was hopeless, and of course more Dai Li agents had to flood in.

Eira sent Katara a scared look but she looked determined and Eira wasn't going to let her down. Katara summoned the water up around her in the octopus formation and Eira held out her hands offensively. They couldn't let things end there. Eira was going to try and make up for her mistakes.

Eira tried to mimic Katara's movements and tendrils of air spiralled downwards before being sent straight for Azula and Zuko.

The two siblings sprinted out of the way and Eira twisted the air to follow them but her attack dissipated as she had to avoid a blast of fire. Katara's octopus lashed out and it burst into a cloud of steam. She shot the tentacles towards the Dai Li agents.

Eira's senses were going on overdrive as she avoided the flying rocks and fire, trying her best to attack herself. She stole a glance towards Aang and she gasped as all she saw was a collection of crystals encasing him like a cocoon.

"Aang!" she shouted. "Don't!"

A sharp rock hit her in the gut and she fell to the floor, kicking at the Dai Li agent and sending them flying and agents the wall.

It was too late. The crystal cocoon grew, spikes jutting out of it, inside there was a flash of white light, and everything shattered. Aang rose out of the crystals, eyes glowing, and he radiated power.

Katara's eyes lit up with hope and just as Aang raised his arm, Eira froze.

Katara screamed, everything was going in slow motion. The blue lightning arched through the air and struck Aang. His body writhed with electricity and the light in his eyes died.

Aang fell down and Eira dived to catch him, jumping up to him with her airbending. Tears streamed down Katara's face and the water she was controlling exploded outwards in a massive wave.

She ran over to Eira, who was carrying the lifeless body of Aang. Eira's eyes were glassy and as wide as dinner plates. He was getting colder.

Eira held Aang close to her protectively and Katara stood next to her. They both faced Azula and Zuko. Azula was looking happy and Eira just wanted to disappear. Her heart was beating too fast and every muscle screamed at her to stop.

Zuko and Azula both entered firebending stances and Eira closed her eyes hard as the orange and blue streams were sent towards them.

But nothing happened.

Eira opened her eyes in shock and gasped as she saw Iroh standing in front of her, protecting her, Aang, and Katara.

"You've got to get out of here!" he ordered. "I'll hold them off as long as I can!"

Eira didn't even think of refusing. She and Katara ran off as fast as they could while carrying Aang.

They approached the small waterfall and Katara swiftly pulled them all up with her water bending. The rode upwards like salmon and Eira was doing her best not to drop Aang.

They ran through the dark tunnel above, Katara still using her waterbending to help them up and they were finally outside.

Eira took quick breaths as her eyes adjusted to the light. She was shaking with adrenaline and if she didn't stop soon she was going to faint.

"W-Where can we… go?" she asked haltingly. It was nightmarish. People in Ba Sing Se were screaming and running all around them. The noise was almost too much.

"I-I…" Katara was still crying. She looked exhausted, mentally, physically, and emotionally. They both had no idea what to do next.

"Katara! Katara!" A loud voice cut through the rest of the noise and Katara looked up.

"Sokka!" she shouted back.

Appa dived towards them. Sokka was at the reigns, with Toph, Bocso and the Earth King on the saddle. They all looked worn, but nowhere near as bad as Eira felt.

Eira and Katara wearily climbed onto Appa. Eira hauled Aang onto the saddle and collapsed, unable to even sit up.

Appa set off immediately, not waiting a second.

No one said a word. Aang's body and their condition was all they needed.

Katara, who had stopped crying, pulled out her vial of spirit water and as the sun set, she healed Aang. The water glowed as she pressed it against his wound on Aang's back. His tattoos lit up with the spiritual energy. No one spoke as the glow eventually faded.

Aang gave a small gasp and he began breathing again.

Katara smiled a little, and held Aang close to her in a hug. Toph breathed deeply in relief.

Eira and Kuei looked back at Ba Sing Se. The walls that had protected it were completely crumbled, nothing but debris.

"The Earth Kingdom…has fallen," Kuei said, the last light of innocence and hope in his eyes dead.

And then Eira began to cry. What did she even do?

* * *

**Get ready for the guilt complex :D**

**Now, I wonder what's going to happen with the Fire Nation?**


	18. Chapter 18-Thank Yous

So, yeah. That was the last chapter of Book 2: Changes. Sorry this was such a halted story with me taking longer and longer to post the next chapter.

It started during "The Chase" chapter and I lost my memory stick along with everything I had done up to that point as well as the unfinished chapter. I lost my momentum and became less and less invested. Just rewriting that chapter took ages and all of my focus.

Hopefully, I will pick up a bit in Book 3: Fire and I'm already working on the first chapter of it :D

Anyway, just like last time I'm using this to honour and thank the people who supported this story. I really wouldn't have been able to do any of this without you guys.]

I doubt all of you still read this, but thank you anyway.

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And thank you so much for everyone who reviewed! :D I really appreciate them and they help me continue more than anything else.

See you all in Book 3!


	19. Next Book

Just a notice informing you that chapter 1 of Book 3: Fire is now up. I hope you enjoy it.


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